easyJet (London Luton) is close to securing an unspecified stake in TUI fly (Germany) (X3, Hannover) German business periodical manager magazin has said quoting informed sources.
According to the report, the UK-based LCC plans to use the leisure carrier's German Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) to retain access to the European market post-Brexit.
In the wake of the June referendum that saw the majority of Britons voting to leave the European Union, easyJet confirmed previous speculative reports that it was indeed pursuing a bloc-based AOC.
UK-based carriers such as easyJet and flybe. (2002) (Exeter) have expressed concern over their continued access to the European market once the divorce has been completed. Similarly, bloc-based airlines which have hubs in the UK - Ryanair (FR, Dublin International) in particular - have expressed their own concerns over their continued ability to operate out of the UK.
Despite UK Prime Minister Teresa May's optimistic stance that Brexit will allow the country to reorient its economy towards the global market and thus blossom free of the shackles of EU bureaucracy, Ryanair's outspoken, if cynical, CEO Michael O'Leary has begged to differ.
"I have no faith in the politicians in London going on about how 'the world will want to trade with us'," he was quoted by The Irish Independent. "The world will want to screw you, that's what happens in trade talks. They have no interest in giving the UK a deal on trade."
