The UK government has confirmed that it will reciprocate the European Union’s arrangements for air travel in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

This confirms that EU airlines will be able to continue to operate flights between the UK and the EU, even in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

It reciprocates the plans the European Commission is putting in place, which would allow UK airlines to operate routes to and from the UK to EU countries.

They will also be able to make stops in EU countries and fly over EU airspace.

The European parliament is due to vote on Wednesday to approve the legislation, with the final vote in council to take place within the next two weeks.

Initially the commission said flights for this year would be capped at summer levels in a no-deal, however, it has now been confirmed that this has been removed from the final legislation.

The move has been welcomed by ABTA.

Mark Tanzer, chief executive of ABTA said: “This announcement provides further assurance that, whatever the outcome of Brexit, travellers can continue to book holidays and business trips with confidence.

“Europe is the most popular holiday destination for UK travellers with 58 million trips made to the continent each year.

“More than three in five people are planning to take a trip to Europe this year, so travellers will be pleased to see the final confirmation from the UK on their ability to fly even in the event of a no-deal.

“It’s worth remembering that if the UK and the EU agree a deal, we will be in a transition period and everything will stay the same for travel until the end of 2020 – meaning people can continue to travel to the EU exactly as they do now.

“While it is encouraging that there are plans in place for a no-deal scenario, we encourage politicians to work to avoid a no-deal Brexit.”