UAE signs Air Services Agreement 'open sky policy' with Paraguay

The agreement was signed last week on the sidelines of the XVII ordinary Assembly of the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission held in Panama city from November 6 to 10, 2006.

The agreement was signed by Ahmed Mohammed Al Haddabi, Deputy Director General of the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in the UAE and Jesus Cesar Rios Rabello, Deputy Director, Air Transport & International Affairs at Paraguay's National Directorate of Civil Aviation.

The agreement includes unlimited capacities, numbers of frequencies and routes, as well as any types of aircraft whether owned or leased that are operated by designated airlines of both countries for passenger and cargo services. The agreement also includes, in addition to the third and fourth freedoms, the practice of the fifth, sixth and seventh freedoms on all points without specifying or providing any type of air traffic services.

It is known that international air transport is governed by the principle of national sovereignty, and this places legal restrictions on air traffic. To remove these restrictions, liberalization involves establishing a number of 'freedoms' as defined in international agreements.

Mohammed Ghanem Al Ghaith, Director General of the GCAA, said the agreement with the Paraguay government was part of agreements and MoUs that will be signed with a number of Latin American countries.

He added, 'The growth and fast expansion of our national carriers necessitate that we open new routes that meet the current and future requirements of our market. That will encourage the tourism sector and investments between the UAE and Latin America.'

The UAE was the only Arab country invited to take part in the ordinary Assembly of the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission. The UAE delegation presented a detailed view of the development of the civil aviation and air transport sector in the UAE.

A number of meetings were held between civil aviation officials in Latin American countries and the president of the ICAO. The delegation also hosted a gala dinner to which Latin American civil aviation presidents and directors of were invited.