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News Releases
No. 26/08
March 28, 2008
EU-US OPEN SKIES: A NEW ERA IN TRANSATLANTIC AVIATION STARTS ON SUNDAY
The new
EU-US Air Transport Agreement will take effect on
Sunday, March 30. For the first time, European
airlines
can fly without restrictions from any point in the EU to
any point in the United States. "This marks the start of
a
 new era in transatlantic aviation," said
Jacques Barrot, Vice President of the European Commission in
charge of
Transport. "This
Agreement will bring more
competition and cheaper flights to the US."
This
agreement is the most ambitious air services deal ever
negotiated. The two biggest aviation markets,
encompassing 60 percent of world traffic, will cooperate
closer in all fields of aviation policy. In May 2008,
the European Commission will engage in second-stage
negotiations with the US. "A fully Open Aviation Area
between the EU and the US must remain our objective,"
added Vice President Barrot.
All EU airlines are now able to operate direct flights
to the US from anywhere in Europe and not just from
their home country. The Agreement removes all
restrictions on routes, prices, or the number of weekly
flights. Many airlines will increase the number of
flights and destinations on Sunday. Flights between
London-Heathrow and the US, for example, will increase
about 20 percent compared to April 2007.
With about 50 million annual passengers between the EU
and the US, the agreement covers by far the biggest
international air transport market. The removal of all
market access restrictions will stimulate competition.
Prices for transatlantic flights are expected to fall.
The benefits for consumers could reach up to 12 billion
euros over the first five years. The Agreement could
lead to the creation of 80,000 jobs on both sides of the
Atlantic.
For the first time, this agreement establishes closer
cooperation between the EU and the US to tackle new
challenges, such as security or the environment. This
will facilitate the operations for airlines and airports
and reduce hassle for passengers.
This cooperation is already delivering tangible results,
for example in the field of environment: the
Atlantic
Interoperability Initiative to Reduce Emissions (AIRE)
is a joint project to reduce the environmental impact of
transatlantic flights. Greener transatlantic flights
will reduce emissions per flight.
Building on the success of the European internal
aviation market, this agreement is an important first
step towards the normalization of the international
aviation industry. The ultimate objective of the
European Union is to create a transatlantic Open
Aviation Area: a single air transport market between the
EU and the US with free flows of investment and no
restrictions on air services, including access to the
domestic markets of both parties. Therefore, the
agreement taking effect on March 30 contains a strong
mechanism for second-stage negotiations with a clear
timetable, starting already in mid-May 2008.
The
Agreement was signed on April 30, 2007 at the EU-US
Transatlantic
Summit in Washington. It replaces 21
bilateral agreements between Member States and the
United States with their nationality restrictions. Until
now, EU airlines could not operate flights to the US
from outside their home country.
For further information, please visit:
http://www.eurunion.org/newsweb/HotTopics/OpenSkies.htm
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Further Contact Information:
Press and Public Diplomacy
Delegation of the European Commission
2300 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
http://www.eurunion.org/PressRoom
Tel: 202-862-9552
Fax: 202-429-1766
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