Read also: Coronavirus | International routes are open on a case-by-case basis: THE DGCA The UAE and India should have an open airspace policy instead of an air transport agreement between them, Gulf Ambassador to India Ahmed Al Banna said on Wednesday, assuring that such a measure would benefit airlines in both countries. The UAE is keen to have an open sky agreement with India, its Ambassador to India A.R. Albanna said on Wednesday. Topics covered: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements in which India participates and/or harms India`s interests The agreement allows any EU airline to fly between the United Arab Emirates and each EU member state in which it is established and where a bilateral agreement with the United Arab Emirates is in place and where traffic rights are available. It does not replace bilateral agreements, but adapts them to bring them in line with EU law. This is an important step in relation to the traditional organisation of air transport based on nationality restrictions and complements the EU`s internal external aviation market. The 2016 National Civil Aviation Policy allows the government to conclude an open skies agreement on a reciprocal basis with ASARC nations and countries beyond a 5,000-kilometre radius of New Delhi. The envoy stressed that the United Arab Emirates had succeeded in creating important hubs, notably in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. “The implementation of an open skies policy is one of the main elements or pillars to become an important crossroads,” Albanna said. On 30 November 2007, the EU and the United Arab Emirates signed a horizontal air services agreement allowing EU air carriers to fly between the United Arab Emirates and each EU member state. India has an open airspace policy with ASARC countries and countries beyond 5,000 km, which means that nations at this distance must enter into a bilateral agreement and determine the number of flights their airlines can fly between the two countries. India has signed open skies agreements with the United States, Greece, Jamaica, Guyana, Finland, Spain and Sri Lanka.

“We need an open skies policy. You can`t be protected and at the same time say you want to become a hub. Open skies policy and the fifth and sixth freedoms are two distinct themes,” Albanna said in a webinar organized by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “We need to look at what we call an open airspace policy instead of having a limited air transport contract in terms of capacity, in number of seats,” Banna said. The degree of “openness to the sky” depends on the freedoms of the air in the country granted to foreign airlines. Under the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation, there are nine such freedoms. The United Arab Emirates wants an Open Sky deal with India. It is also ready to cooperate with India to create aviation platforms inside the country, Ar Albanna, the United Arab Emirates` ambassador to India, said on Wednesday. An open-air service agreement allows airlines in both countries to have an unlimited number of flights and seats in each other`s jurisdictions. The United Arab Emirates wants an open skies agreement with India. The agreement will not only promote connectivity and passenger traffic between the two countries, but will also reduce the price of flights on these routes.

In 2016, the Council authorised the European Commission to negotiate an EU-wide air transport agreement with the United Arab Emirates to further improve the already close air transport relationship as proposed in the ambitious 2015 aviation foreign policy. He pointed out that the tourism and tourism sector contributes between 25 and 30% of the UAE`s GDP. Our top-not-down products and our focus on customer service have brought us more than 500 awards. Consumers are not owned by airlines. We can`t “take” or “steal” passengers, but we can earn their loyalty by offering good value for money. We think consumers will vote with their wallets and suitcases.