Ireland could not stop UK flights from crossing its land: PM May's spokeswoman

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May talks with people from the Belfast Youth Forum during her visit to the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland, July 20, 2018. Paul Faith/Pool via Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - It is wrong to claim that Ireland can stop British flights flying over the country if Prime Minister Theresa May fails to agree a deal to leave the European Union, her spokeswoman said on Friday.

"It is wrong to claim that Ireland could simply stop the UK from flying over its land as a result of Brexit ... because over-flight rights are not guaranteed by the EU but rather by a multilateral treaty which both ourselves and Ireland have signed up to," she told reporters.

"Regardless of this, we are confident that we'll reach an agreement which maintains our aviation access."

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, editing by Andy Bruce)