British Carrier One Air Bemoans Lack Of Access To European 747 Shops

LONDON—Bureaucratic issues triggered by the UK’s exit from the EU mean British cargo carrier One Air must send its Boeing 747s for heavy maintenance in the U.S. 

“It's a pain we could do without,” One Air COO Chris Hope says of the expensive trip the freight operator did not need to make before Brexit.

Hope says that the UK CAA reached a cooperation agreement with the FAA, recognizing EASA-approved U.S. maintenance shops. This means One Air can use U.S. facilities for its heavy maintenance but this costs roughly $500,000 per visit, including ferry costs, which is more than the carrier would pay in Europe.

“We can't just access any EASA-approved organization, which we could pre-Brexit. That just makes it more difficult,” Hope says. “If the CAA were able to reach more of those agreements with states closer to the UK, that would be really helpful.”

The UK government and CAA have been “very supportive,” but he says, “Changing that political landscape is not going to happen overnight.”

When asked whether One Air might consider setting up a foreign air operator certificate (AOC), Hope says, “For the next two to three years, we just see ourselves establishing and growing the UK business.”

One Air is already able to fly out of the EU, so long as local operators do not veto its plans and choose to fly the route themselves. One Air has successfully used this process on a number of occasions. “We’re not prevented from operating from the EU. What we can't do is guarantee high volumes of capacity without the potential of somebody objecting,” he says.

Since launching, One Air has performed flights from the UK to Asia, Europe and the Middle East, including a 7X-weekly service to Hong Kong. Hope is now exploring opportunities to increase directional load factors, from Europe to Asia. “We can provide lift in that direction at relatively competitive prices,” he says. “At the moment, there is nothing like the demand that we see for inbound exports from the Far East.”