Swiss-British air service deal signed for post-Brexit flights
A Swiss plane taking off from Zurich
Keystone
Swiss Transport Minister Doris Leuthard and the British secretary of state for transport, Chris Grayling, have agreed to ensure air services continue to operate between the two countries after Brexit.
Britain is due to leave the European Union on March 29, but uncertainty over how, or even if, Brexit will happen has increased the possibility of the country exiting without a deal on departure terms, a scenario that some companies said would usher in chaos.
There are currently around 150 daily flights linking Zurich, Basel and Geneva with 25 different destinations in Britain. In 2017, about 6.7 million passengers used the services, according to the Swiss transport ministry.
“These agreements will ensure Britain continues to prosper as we leave the EU and I’m confident the UK will reach a mutually beneficial deal, while we continue to prepare for all eventualities,” Grayling said in a statement.
On Friday the European Union announced that, after Brexit, British travellers would have to pay €7 (CHF7.90) for a three-year pre-travel authorisation to visit the European Union – and Switzerland – provided London seals a divorce agreement with the bloc.
If Britain crashes out of the bloc with no agreement in place to mitigate ensuing disruptions, Britons could require full visas to travel to the EU in the future, a spokeswoman for the European Commission said.
Also on Friday the Swiss government approved the text of a trade agreement with Britain, aiming to maintain existing economic and trade relations with the country after Brexit – including in the event of a disorderly “no deal”.
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The Federal Council has approved the text of a trade agreement with Britain, aiming to maintain existing economic and trade relations after Brexit.
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The Brexit deal appears likely to fail in the British parliament and what happens next is unclear. What would direct democracy veteran Switzerland do?
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.