Canada Signs Aviation Agreements With Caribbean

by Mike Godfrey, Tax-News.com, Washington

24 December 2010

Canada’s Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Chuck Strahl, and Minister of International Trade, Peter Van Loan have announced the conclusion of 'open skies' air transport agreements with the Caribbean territories of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

The new agreements will provide airlines with additional flexibility for route selection, frequency of service and price setting. Airports will also be in a position to better market their services.

Welcoming the agreements, Strahl said, "I am very pleased that expanded arrangements have been reached with these two long-standing and important bilateral air transport partners in the Caribbean. These agreements are further positive steps in the implementation of our government's Blue Sky policy."

Van Loan for his part added: "These agreements will reinforce Canada's commercial relationship with two of our most significant trade partners in the Caribbean Community. Canada would like to build on this momentum as we move forward in our negotiations toward a free trade agreement with the Caribbean Community."

Air services between Canada and both Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago have been operated for several years. The agreements are being applied on an administrative basis, which allows new air services to begin immediately.

Since the launch of the Canadian government’s Blue Sky policy in November 2006, the government has negotiated air transport agreements with more than 50 countries, including:

• Open skies-type agreements with 11 countries: Ireland, Iceland, New Zealand, Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, South Korea, El Salvador, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica;
• Expanded agreements with seven countries: Mexico, Japan, Jordan, Singapore, the Philippines, Morocco and Cuba;
• New "first-time" agreements with eight countries: Kuwait, Serbia, Croatia, Panama, Turkey, South Africa, Ethiopia and Tunisia; and,
• A comprehensive air transport agreement between Canada and the European Union's 27 member states. This includes Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia, with which Canada did not previously have air agreements.

Recommended