EU red tape costs a fledgling British cargo airline £400,000 every time it gets a plane repaired due to new post-Brexit rules, according to a report.

One Air pays the eye-watering expense because it is forced to send its planes to the US for routine servicing and repairs.

It has to do this because of the lack of mutual recognition between the EU and the UK for those with professional qualifications in the aviation industry.

One Air is the only company in the UK operating the Boeing 747s as most of the industry has switched to Airbus models, with only one repair workshop for the plane in Germany being recognised in the UK.

When Brexit happened EU-based aircraft engineering companies in the bloc had the opportunity to apply to be recognised in the UK before the end of 2022 but there were no takers for 747s.

The red tape means it is easier for One Air to send its planes to the US as the UK has a bilateral deal with that county, something the aviation industry hopes could be a model for Keir Starmer‘s predicted new deal with the EU. 

Components can only be put in UK aircraft if they are UK-approved or covered by the UK’s deal with the US. 

The chief executive of One Air, Chris Hope, told The Guardian: ‘In the seven months of this calendar year so far, we’ve had two [services] that had to go to the US. 

‘The kind of incremental cost difference is approaching $500,000 (£385,000) for each of them.’

He said EU companies would have to apply to the UK as if they were a new operator to win approval which would duplicate regulations – increasing time and costs.

Pilots are also an issue as those with British qualifications are no longer recognised by the EU since Brexit.

Other industries such as the industrial chemical industry, architects and accountants, are also affected by EU red tape clashing the the UK’s.

According to the rules, aircraft have to be serviced every three months, which takes a week at a time. A longer check, taking a month, is also required every two years. 

Amy Leversidge, the general secretary of the British Airline Pilots’ Association, called on the new government to heed the association’s repeated calls for ‘mutual recognition’ of flight crew and engineer licences, medical certificates and training organisation approvals.

It said it would benefit all airlines and remove barriers to UK licence holders securing employment. 

Meanwhile the foreign secretary, David Lammy, said he will be seeking to fix this as part of a wider reset in EU relations that the Labour government is seeking.

A Government spokesperson said: ‘The UK will reset the relationship with our European friends to strengthen ties, secure a broad-based security pact and tackle barriers to trade.’

The Labour manifesto said it will work to improve the UK’s trade and investment relationship with the EU by tearing down unnecessary barriers to trade. 

It stated Labour will seek to secure a mutual recognition agreement for professional qualifications to help open up markets for UK service exporters.