Guyana signs air services agreements with Saudi Arabia, seven other countries
Guyana recently negotiated air services agreements with 18 states, the Civil Aviation Authority has stated, and was able to conclude agreements with eight of them.
This was done at the 12th International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Air Services Negotiation Event (ICAN2019) which was held in Aqaba, Jordan from December 2-6, 2019.
According to the Authority, Guyana as a matter of policy, negotiates open skies (liberal) Air Services Agreements, granting up to fifth freedom traffic rights for passenger traffic and up to seventh freedom for all-cargo traffic.
At the meeting, Guyana held 24 meetings with 18 countries: Senegal, The Bahamas, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Seychelles, Paraguay, Bangladesh, Greece, Rwanda, United States, Thailand, Spain, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Austria, Sierra Leone and Belgium.
From these meetings, Guyana was able to conclude negotiation of Air Services Agreements with eight countries: 1) Senegal; 2) Seychelles; 3) The Bahamas; 4) Paraguay; 5) Saudi Arabia; 6) Germany; 7) Greece and 8) Spain.
Negotiations were initiated with six (6) countries: 1) Ethiopia; 2) Jamaica; 3) Bangladesh; 4) Austria; 5) Thailand and 6) Belgium and continued with Sierra Leone whom Guyana met at ICAN 2018 in Kenya.
The eight (8) Air Services Agreements were initialled and Memoranda of Understanding signed with these countries at the technical level pending signature at the ministerial level.
These Air Services Agreements initialled and Memoranda of Understanding signed are provisionally applicable until the Air Services Agreements are signed by both parties and enters into force.
This means that the negotiated agreements are immediately applicable for traffic rights between Guyana and these countries.
An Air Services Agreement (ASA) is an instrument used by states to jointly regulate, facilitate and promote their international air services relationships for their airlines. Air Services Agreements govern traffic rights for international air services among airlines between two countries.
These agreements are necessary for the development of a state’s international air transport network as it creates the infrastructure that allows airlines of one state to access new markets and develop their network. The benefits of such connectivity include trade, global inclusivity, economic development, tourism growth, inter alia.
The objective of ICAO Air Services Negotiation Event is to provide states with a central meeting place to conduct bilateral (regional or plurilateral) air services negotiations and consultations with other member states of ICAO.
A total of 61 member states of ICAO participated in ICAN 2019 from five ICAO regions of the world.
Guyana’s delegation was led by Lt. Col. (Ret’d) Egbert Field, Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority and supported by Mr. Saheed Sulaman, Director, Air Transport Management Oneka Archer-Caulder, Director Legal and Treaties Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The next ICAN event is scheduled for Medellin, Colombia.