This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Bombardier and Cobham are among more than 200 UK aerospace manufacturers which have applied to come under the jurisdiction of regulators in other EU countries in preparation for a possible hard Brexit.

Aircraft parts from the UK can currently be used across the EU if the country’s aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), has approved them.

However, if the UK leaves the EU on 29 March 2019 without a transition deal the approvals will no longer be valid, meaning that new parts made by British firms will need third-country approvals like those currently used by non-EU countries, unless they have registered with regulators in EU states.

The European Aviation Safety Authority opened an early application process in October for companies regulated by the CAA to transfer their regulatory relationship to another jurisdiction within the EU.

Bombardier, a Canadian manufacturer which has aerospace operations in Northern Ireland, and the British company Cobham are among the largest companies that have been forced to apply, with no withdrawal agreement between the UK and the EU in place and just over three months until Brexit.

A Bombardier spokesperson said moving its authorisation to another regulator would help “minimise disruption to our business”.

The British jet engine maker Rolls-Royce announced similar plans last week to move to the German regulator, saying it was a precautionary measure which could be reversed. The regulatory moves are not thought to include large job losses in the UK.

The prospect of a no-deal Brexit has added extra impetus for big manufacturers to examine their operations for vulnerabilities to legal and supply chain risks.

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Some major aerospace and defence firms, including Airbus and BAE Systems, do not need to gain third-country regulatory approvals before Brexit, either because they are already authorised in another EU country or because their UK operations do not sell to the EU.

However, in June Airbus warned that the entire aerospace industry faced additional risks related to Brexit, and that in a no-deal Brexit “production is likely to be severely disrupted”.

The British government has warned that there could be major delays at the border, prompting firms including Airbus, Rolls-Royce and transport operations at Bombardier to start stockpiling parts.