Luxemburg-headquartered very light jet charter operator Wijet confirmed that it is to surrender its only AOC, which is registered in the UK, and will instead arrange for its fleet to be operated by third party partners within the EU.Wijet obtained the AOC as part of its acquisition of UK-based Blink in September 2016, which created the world’s largest very light jet-equipped air taxi company. It recently announced that it would be upgrading its current fleet of 15 Cessna Citation Mustangs with 16 HA-420 HondaJets.

In a statement, the company highlighted a less than favourable cost structure, integration and operational issues with the Blink acquisition, but it also made clear that the uncertainty around the UK’s exit from the EU had played a significant part in its decision. “The doubts around the deadline of March 2019 from the EASA accelerated the decision to look for a solution to continue operating flights within the EU. Intra-UK flights accounted for less than 10% of the group’s sales,” said Jean François Hochenauer, executive board member of Wijet Holdings. “Owning an Airline Certificate, especially in view of the Brexit, is not a competitive advantage.”