These will allow easyJet to establish a new airline, easyJet Europe, which will be headquartered in Vienna and will enable easyJet to continue to operate flights both across Europe and domestically within European countries after the UK has left the EU (regardless of the outcome of talks on a future UK-EU aviation agreement).
The people and planes that will fly for easyJet Europe are already employed and based in EU27 countries.
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The new structure means that easyJet would become a pan European airline group with three airlines based in Austria, Switzerland and the UK. All of these will be owned by easyJet plc which itself will be EU owned and controlled, listed on the London Stock Exchange and based in the UK.
While the new structure will protect all of easyJet’s current flying rights within Europe, easyJet will continue to push for the UK and EU to reach an aviation agreement which, at a minimum, will enable flights between the UK and EU.
easyJet currently bases around 100 aircraft and employs around 4000 people across six EU27 countries who will form the basis of easyJet Europe, and does so on local contracts in their based countries and in full compliance with local and EU rules and regulations.
Around half of easyJet’s passengers come from the EU 27 and around 30% of their passengers are flying on routes between and within the EU 27. Currently around 100 aircraft and around 4000 crew are based in EU27 countries, around 25 easyJet aircraft and around 950 people are based in Switzerland and around 140 aircraft and 6000 people are based in the UK.
The Austrian AOC will enable easyJet to continue to operate flights both across Europe and domestically within European countries after the UK has left the EU (regardless of the outcome of talks on a future UK-EU aviation agreement).
The first aircraft will have been re-registered from the UK AOC to the new AOC as part of the granting of the AOC. From then on easyJet will phase the re-registering of the 110 or so planes that are required for its EU operations into it in a structured way over the next two winters to ensure that there is no disruption to the airline’s operations.
This will be completed in advance of the UK leaving the EU. It is important to note that these aircraft are not physically moving in the sense of where they are based or operated from and to. easyJet’s network remains unaffected by the setting up of the new AOC.