The utter incompetence of the CAA

I was at a meeting a few months ago at the Scottish Parliament.  We were talking about leaving the European Union.  Almost everyone around the room was moaning about how they may have to be forced at the last minute to make preparations.   

This was in sharp contrast to the businessman who lives in the productive sector of the economy who told the room, “the moment the vote happened we started preparing, as any prudent business would, for the worst of options.  And we did.  Within six months we were ready for no deal.” 

Now, leaked notes from the Civil Aviation Authority reveal that they are nowhere near ready.  Instead of spending the last two years preparing it appears they have done precisely nothing.   

The documents paint a picture of the CAA being an organisation scrambling to make the necessary preparations for a no-deal Brexit and the UK dropping out of the aviation single market altogether.   

The advice to stakeholders issued by the CAA's head of flight operations, Captain Rob Bishton, says: "If the UK no longer continues as an EASA member, UK issued licences, ratings and certificates may continue to display EASA references beyond 29 March.   In this instance, licences, ratings and certificates will be reissued by the UK CAA."   

This is not news.  This was known two years ago.  So can someone at the CAA explain what they have actually been doing for the past two years.  This should all have been in place a year ago.

All this news item shows is the utter incompetence of the leaders at the CAA and other such bodies.