The number of EU passengers flying in and out of Manchester Airport could drop if the government fails to strike an interim deal to secure open access to European skies post-Brexit, according to a new study.

Commissioned by leading British airports - including Manchester and Heathrow - it claims passenger numbers in the EU could fall by as much as 41 per cent if no holding deal is struck between the UK and the European Union by October 2018.

The report claims flights could be grounded and Britain’s economy would be hit, without a guarantee of future access to the EU’s single aviation market.

An early deal is essential to reduce uncertainty as many air passengers book months in advance for travel post-Brexit, it says.

(Image: PA)

The worst case scenario is that passenger numbers fall by 41 per cent at Britain’s biggest airports between March 2018 and March 2019, according to the leaked report penned consultancy WPI Economics.

“The risk of no deal creates uncertainty for the industry,” it reads. “Although an eleventh hour deal may prevent planes from being grounded, damage to the aviation industry and the wider economy would have already been done.”

Writing in the M.E.N. before the UK voted to leave the EU, Manchester Airports Group (MAG) chief executive Charlie Cornish stated: “In 1992, the introduction of ‘open skies’ across the EU sparked the low-cost revolution, and unleashed a wave of competition into a market that had been heavily state controlled up to that point.

“As competition has strengthened, airlines have become more efficient, air fares have fallen, and choice has increased.

“The end result is that more British passengers can now afford to fly. No government acting on its own could have come close to achieving anywhere near as much.”

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Commenting on the leaked report, a MAG spokesperson said: “MAG believes that it is critical that post-Brexit all airlines retain liberal access to the continent’s skies and we are urging the EU and UK Government to prioritise an interim deal on aviation as soon as possible.

“Other sectors are able to plan on the basis of WTO fall-back arrangements, but the aviation industry is at a distinct disadvantage because in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal, it doesn’t have the same sort of ‘safety net’.

“Tickets will soon go on sale for flights in a post-Brexit world and both airlines and passengers need assurance from the EU and UK Government to enable them to plan for the future.”