According to a report, EU bureaucracy is costing a fledgling British cargo airline £400,000 every time an aircraft needs repairs due to new post-Brexit regulations.

One Air has to bear these horrendous costs because the airline is forced to send its planes to the USA for routine maintenance and repairs.

The reason for this is the lack of mutual recognition of professional qualifications in the aviation industry between the EU and Great Britain.

One Air is the only company in the UK to operate Boeing 747 aircraft, as most of the industry has switched to Airbus models. In the UK, only a single repair facility for the aircraft is recognised, in Germany.

When Brexit happened, EU-based aircraft manufacturers in the bloc had the opportunity to apply for recognition in the UK until the end of 2022, but there were no takers for the 747s.

EU bureaucracy is costing a young British cargo airline £400,000 every time it has to have a plane repaired due to new post-Brexit rules, a report says. Pictured: Archive image of a Boeing 747 of Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific taking off

The company has to send the planes to the US for repairs because there is no mutual recognition of professional qualifications in the aviation industry between the EU and the UK.

The red tape means it is easier for One Air to send its planes to the US because Britain has a bilateral agreement with that country. The aviation industry hopes this could serve as a model for the new deal with the EU predicted by Keir Starmer.

Components may only be fitted to British aircraft if they are approved in the UK or are covered by the UK-US agreement.

One Air chief executive Chris Hope told The Guardian: “In the seven months so far this calendar year, two of our airlines have had to relocate to the US.”

“The incremental cost differences for each of them are approximately $500,000 (£385,000).”

He said EU companies would have to apply for authorisation in the UK as if they were a new operator, which would result in duplication of rules and therefore increased time and costs.

Components may only be fitted to British aircraft if they are approved in the UK or covered by the UK-US agreement. Pictured: Manufacturing parts for an Airbus A320 wing

The red tape means it is easier for One Air to send its planes to the US because Britain has a bilateral agreement with that country. The aviation industry hopes this could be a model for Keir Starmer’s predicted new deal with the EU.

Pilots are also a problem, because pilots with British qualifications are no longer recognized by the EU since Brexit.

Other sectors, such as the chemical industry, architects and accountants, are also affected by the bureaucratic hurdles of the EU and Great Britain.

According to regulations, aircraft must undergo maintenance every three months, which takes one week each time, and a longer check every two years, which takes one month.

Amy Leversidge, general secretary of the British Airline Pilots’ Association, called on the new government to respond to the association’s repeated calls for “mutual recognition” of flight crew and technician licences, medical certificates and training organisation accreditations.

It was said that this would benefit all airlines and would remove obstacles for UK licence holders to find work.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he would seek to address the issue as part of the Labour government’s broader overhaul of relations with the EU.

MailOnline has contacted the Cabinet Office for comment.