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Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has said there will be no flights between the UK and the European Union for months after Brexit if no deal is struck before Britain leaves the EU.

Mr O’Leary has told the European Parliament that airports will be deserted, holidays cancelled and Ryanair aircraft will be moved to Europe, unless replacements for EU airline agreements are struck.

The Open Skies agreement allows EU airlines, including those registered in the UK, to operate in each other’s countries.

Unlike other sectors, the aviation sector can’t fall back on World Trade Organisation rules, which makes a new deal vital, he said.

Mr O’Leary warned the European Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee in Brussels that such a deal was “an impossibility” and that the “only sensible option” was for the British government to remain in the EU.

He said “There is a real prospect, and we need to deal with this, that there are going to be no flights between the UK and Europe for a period of weeks, months beyond March 2019.

“There is not going to be an interim agreement, there is not going to be a legal basis, we will be cancelling flights, we will be cancelling people’s holidays for summer of 2019.”

March 2019 is the deadline for Britain to exit the EU .

Ryanair flies to a number of European destinations from Newcastle , including Madrid, Barcelona, Warsaw and Dublin.