One Air is advocating for the new UK government to establish a bilateral agreement with the European Union (EU) to streamline the sourcing of pilots, engineers, and maintenance services. This move aims to reduce costs and enhance efficiency as the cargo airline looks to expand its operations.
Since its launch in April last year, One Air has faced significant challenges due to Brexit, which have made employment and maintenance more costly and time-consuming. The Brexit trade agreement, effective from the end of 2020, resulted in the UK losing its membership in the EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). While reciprocity on aircraft design and manufacture was maintained, it did not extend to professional qualifications for pilots, engineers, and maintenance personnel. Paul Simmons, One Air’s director, attributes this to a combination of rapid policy agreements and the absence of an impact study.
Simmons pointed out that prior to Brexit, UK Civil Aviation qualifications and licensing arrangements for engineers and pilots matched those of EASA. The current lack of reciprocity is impeding growth, especially as One Air is the UK’s sole operator of 747 freighters. The reduced pool of engineers, pilots, training, and engineering facilities in the UK has created additional hurdles.
Although One Air is training senior pilots, an EU agreement would facilitate sourcing senior pilots from Europe more efficiently. Currently, One Air relies on agencies to find pilots with European licenses on a temporary basis, which increases employment costs by approximately 20%. Additionally, engineering capacity for 747s in the UK is limited, with only one facility in Europe, located in Germany, licensed for UK-registered 747Fs.
Simmons emphasized that a bilateral agreement would make more facilities eligible and available for UK-registered aircraft, reducing the time and cost of maintaining aircraft abroad. He highlighted that the UK has signed bilateral agreements with other countries, including the US, Canada, and Brazil, but these do not offer a viable long-term solution.
For example, One Air recently had to send an aircraft to the US for heavy maintenance, incurring an extra half a million pounds in costs and two additional weeks out of service compared to servicing in Europe. More facilities are needed to ensure operational efficiency and minimize downtime.
One Air is poised for growth, with plans to add a third leased 747F by the end of the month. The new aircraft, currently undergoing checks in Indonesia, will join the existing fleet at Heathrow after importation registration in Germany.
Since its inception, One Air has been conducting charters between Europe and China/Hong Kong and is looking to expand its fleet with a mix of 747s and other aircraft. The airline also plans to start cargo charter flights between the US and UK, for which it has already obtained a two-year operating permit from the US Department of Transportation.
As the new Labour government takes office, One Air is hopeful for change. The Labour Party manifesto promises to address the reciprocity of professional qualifications between the UK and the EU, a policy supported by Airlines UK and the British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA). One Air is actively lobbying to ensure aviation is included in this agreement.
Simmons stressed that resolving this issue is critical not only for One Air but for the broader UK economy, as downtime for a UK airline with significant cargo capacity impacts trade and economic performance.