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AVIATION

France searches for two missing after plane disappears over Channel

A search was underway Sunday to locate a light aircraft with two people on board that disappeared over the English Channel, the French coastguard said.

Published: 3 April 2022 13:01 CEST
Updated: 3 April 2022 15:10 CEST
France searches for two missing after plane disappears over Channel
French rescue services continue to search for the missing P28 light aircraft with two people on board. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)

The P28 plane had taken off from Wellesbourne in Britain on Saturday for the French seaside resort of Le Touquet, the maritime prefecture said.

The British-registered plane had taken off with five other light aircraft as part of a joint outing, the prefecture said.

Its last known position was half-way over the Channel some 25 miles (45 kilometres) from Dungeness in the south east of England, according to the UK coastguard.

A substantial search operation by both the French and the British authorities on Saturday proved fruitless.

A spokesman for the French emergency services said, “It crashed into British waters for an unknown reason,” according to French news reports.

“British Coastguard launched an operation supported by French aircraft and boats including the Abeille-Languedoc (Languedoc Bee) tug, which has been chartered by the French Navy,” the spokesman added.

The search resumed on Sunday with a French helicopter and a French navy rescue boat, as well as a UK coastguard plane.

A number of commercial ships in the area had also been asked to help, but no debris has yet been found and no witnesses reported seeing the plane go down, the prefecture told AFP.

Britain’s Sunday Telegraph newspaper reported that the single-engine plane was owned by a staff instructor at a flying school based in Wellesbourne.

It named him as Guy Wakeley. The flying school’s website lists his former roles as chief executive for Morrison, a social housing maintenance group, and financial services group Equiniti.

The website said it was holding a “Club Fly-Out” to Le Touquet on Saturday.

An official at the school declined to comment on who was aboard the plane to The Sunday Telegraph.

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AVIATION

Could flights between the UK and EU really be grounded after Brexit?

The British Chancellor on Wednesday raised the possibility that a 'no deal' Brexit scenario could ground flights between the UK and other European countries.

Published: 11 October 2017 17:28 CEST
Could flights between the UK and EU really be grounded after Brexit?
An aeroplane interior. File photo: TT

Chancellor Philip Hammond said the British government was preparing for all eventualities, and that included a 'no deal' scenario in which event, he said, it was “theoretically conceivable” that the day after Brexit, “there will be no air traffic moving between the UK and the European Union”.

Flights to a further 17 countries, including Norway, Switzerland and the US, would also be at risk in this case, as their aviation agreements with the UK are currently arranged through the EU.

Hammond added that he did not think “anyone seriously believes” this would occur, but said the government would invest in and plan for a “realistic worst-case scenario”. The speech was given to the UK's Treasury Select Committee, and was one of the first comments from a British government ministers about possible scenarios for March 29th 2019.

Within the EU, any airline is allowed to fly between any two EU airports if there is an available slot, under the EU's Single Aviation Market.

Once the UK leaves the EU, therefore, it will need to establish an entirely new treaty in order to continue flights not only to the 27 EU countries, but also to 17 other countries whose air services agreements with the UK are arranged through the UK's membership of the EU.

The EU accounts for 54 percent of scheduled commercial flights from the UK, and the 17 other countries for a further 31 percent, according to figures from the British Airport Operators Association (AOA).

But even if the UK is unable to reach a formal agreement with the EU before leaving the bloc, Hammond said “mutual self-interest” made it likely that a new arrangement on flying rights would be made. 

A spokesperson from the International Airlines Group, the parent company of airlines including British Airways, Iberia and Vueling, told The Local: “We're confident that a comprehensive air transport agreement between the EU and the UK will be reached. It's in Europe's interest to have a fully liberalized aviation agreement. 900 million travellers each year have benefitted from open skies in Europe. That not only benefits customers but creates jobs and wealth across the continent.”

The Chief Executive of the British Airport Operators Association (AOA) Karen Dee said in a statement that she “welcomed” Hammond's recognition of the importance on an aviation deal.

“International aviation connectivity will be the foundation upon which a truly global Britain is built, enabling the UK's trade in goods and services as well as supporting tourism,” said Dee. “The Chancellor is right that we will need a new legal framework the day after Brexit to ensure continuity of air services. The AOA believes this is well understood on both sides of the negotiations.”

The UK pilots' union BALPA had said on Tuesday that the British aviation sector would be “devastated by a Brexit 'no deal'”.

BALPA General Secretary Brian Strutton said: “Unlike most other sectors there are no World Trade Organisation or any other rules to fall back on for aviation if there is no deal.”

“UK airlines could find they have to stop flying – it's that serious. And this would impact passengers long before March 2019 because airlines couldn't sell advance tickets and, frankly, would passengers risk buying them?” said Strutton, calling on the government to work on a post-Brexit plan for aviation.