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Upfront The latest in aviation and industrial news from around the world ‘Full Brexit’ looms Hands up if you thought the Brexit conundrum was solved. No such luck. At the time of going to press, there is still a crippling level of uncertainty about the UK’s future relationship with the European Union (EU) after the Transition Period, which ends with the year. BALPA has called on the government to provide much-needed clarity for the aviation industry. It is still not clear if any agreements will be in place for the air-travel industry to continue to operate between the UK and the EU from January onwards – and, if there are, on what terms? There are also still unanswered questions about pilot licences and employment rights. No deal is not an option for aviation: there is no World Trade Organization fall- back for this sector. At the very least, there has to be an air-transport agreement in place for flights to continue between the UK and the EU. READ MORE Executive President’s welcome BALPA would ideally like to see much more than such a bare-bones agreement. We would like to see mutual recognition of pilot licences, and clarity around the ability of UK and EU pilots to fly aircraft registered in each other’s jurisdictions, and on employment rights for temporary basing. We had hoped the UK Government and the EU would have reached some sensible arrangements by now, at least in absolutely key areas, such as air travel. This industry is in an incredibly fragile state right now. We have already seen some airlines raising red flags to their staff about these issues. Any further damage caused by political posturing or flexing of muscles could be fatal. Enough. We need an agreement – and we need it now. Virgin Atlantic secures funding Despite no help being forthcoming from the government, Virgin Atlantic has secured £1.2bn in financing, which should mean the airline will get through the coronavirus crisis and do so in a strong position. However, this good news is allied to bad. The airline announced that it will need to make more staff redundant across the business, but BALPA reps have engaged with Virgin management. They have ensured that no further redundancies will be needed among the pilot community, thanks to the agreements and mitigations from the first round of consultation. Our efforts to protect jobs across our other airlines continues, as every job lost to this crisis is a tragedy. BALPA urges airport testing We have joined the rest of the aviation industry in highlighting the damage being done to air travel by the government’s 14-day quarantine policy. Apart from anything else, it’s a moveable feast, so passengers can’t book with confidence. Adopting airport testing could be part of the solution. We’ve urged Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to urgently change the government’s approach. NEWS Upfront NEWS Upfront The latest in aviation and industrial news from around the world NEWS READ MORE READ MORE Executive President’s welcome I had hoped that, when the time came to pen this foreword, there would be some happier news to report. Alas, it was not to be. We remain at the mercy of COVID-19 chaos. The predictions at the beginning of the pandemic are becoming depressingly accurate, and the level of despondency around our industry is as palpable as the lack of government assistance. I feel it is necessary to acknowledge the debt of gratitude we have to our rep community for remaining resilient and delivering when our members needed them most. I doubt there has ever been a bigger peacetime challenge to our industry. The restructuring of the industry creates unending consequences, such as the untimely retirement from passenger operations of the UK’s 747 fleet. You can read more on the retirement of this industry icon on page 34. It’s easy to forget that, not long ago, Brexit represented one of the UK industry’s biggest challenges (and still does). We are now three months away from the end of the transition period, with what appears to be little progress. As you would expect, it remains high on our agenda. We cannot afford to ignore other factors that are likely to reshape the future of our industry. Coronavirus, Brexit and carbon emissions are all featured in this issue. They represent some of the biggest threats to our industry and are very much on the Association’s radar. Hopefully, by the time the next edition comes around, we will see glimpses of a brighter future. Safe flying, Paul Naylor, BALPA NEC Executive President and easyJet captain