UAE participates in ICAO conference for Air Services Negotiations in Istanbul

This event which is organized by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and hosted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Transportation of Turkey is primarily organized for aviation negotiators from different States to conduct bilateral (and regional or plurilateral) air services negotiations or consultations in a central meeting place.

The UAE delegation is headed by Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of General Civil Aviation Authority, and includes representatives from Abu Dhabi Department of Transport, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Sharjah Civil Aviation Department in addition to representatives from Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways and Air Arabia.

This event is primarily designed to provide States with a central meeting place to conduct bilateral (and regional or plurilateral,) air services negotiations or consultations with their partners. Instead of having to travel to each individual bilateral partner State to conduct negotiations, aviation negotiators attending this event will be able to hold multiple negotiations with their counterparts at the same location, thus greatly improving the efficiency of the bilateral negotiation process.

The event will also provide a forum for participants to learn about current trends and discuss topical issues, as well as offer excellent networking opportunities.

Al Suwaidi stated that the UAE will hold several bilateral air services negotiations with Turkey, Korea, Norway, France, Fiji, Bangladesh, India, Zambia, Ethiopia, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Dominique Republic.

He added that the UAE was the first country in the region to adopt the liberalization policy that lead to the signing of 41 open sky agreements of 126 total signed Air Services agreements.

This conference will provide a forum for participants to exchange information and views on current trends and issues in liberalization and learn about related ICAO guide lines. ICAO held its first Air Services Negotiation Conference (ICAN2008) in Dubai in November 2008, which was hosted by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority. The Conference brought together 27 States from Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East and North America.

In a short span of three days, they conducted more than 100 formal and informal bilateral meetings, which led to the conclusion or signing of over 20 agreements/arrangements. These meetings, as well as other networking opportunities, have helped open the doors for future cooperation and better aviation relations and air services.