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Aviation industry braces for Brexit with CEOs divided on fallout

The dissonance suggests some carriers sense the possibility of a Brexit accord would prevent hassles for tens of millions air travelers while ushering Britain, out of the European aviation market

British Airways, Deutsche Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific Airways and Qantas Airways were among those impacted, with Dutch operator KLM delaying at least 24 departures	Photo: istock
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British Airways, Deutsche Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific Airways and Qantas Airways were among those impacted, with Dutch operator KLM delaying at least 24 departures Photo: istock

Jonathan StearnsBenjamin D Katz Brussels
At an aviation summit in Brussels this past week, Europe’s main airlines put on a display of unity over the challenges ahead. But the industry’s CEOs were divided when it came to the biggest issue of all: Brexit.

The UK’s scheduled departure from the European Union (EU) in March 2019 has provoked widely varying reactions from carriers in the 28-nation bloc. At one extreme are dire flight-cancellation warnings by Ryanair Holdings CEO Michael O’Leary and at the other is nonchalance by his counterpart at British Airways owner IAG SA, fellow Irishman Willie Walsh.

The airline industry differs from