The UK CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) has announced its departure from the European Union aviation system following a post Brexit trade deal reached last week between Britain and the European Union.

"At 23:00 on 31 December 2020 the UK leaves the European Union aviation system, and as such is no longer part of European Union aviation institutions, including the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)," UK CAA said in an announcement carried on its official website.

It noted however that "some CAA website pages, publications and application forms will continue to refer to EU law or provide links to EU law websites, including the European Union and EASA" although the UK's aviation regulator said there is a rolling progamme of updates underway to replace these references.   

"Please note that EU law no longer applies to the UK, and references and links to any EU web pages will not be an accurate description of your obligations or rights under UK law," it added.

In a separate statement, it said that the "UK-EU trade deal, announced on 24 December 2020, includes agreements on air transport and aviation safety which are due to come into effect at 23.00 GMT on 31 December 2020 when the UK ceases to take part in the EASA and other EU institutions."

"While the agreements involve some elements of continuity, they do not constitute a replication of the UK’s regulatory arrangements as part of the EASA/EU framework. Many sections of the aviation and aerospace industries will face changes after 31 December, as this microsite sets out," it added, noting that it will "study the detail of the new agreements" and provide information as new arrangements become clearer.