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The
agreement, once formalised, will mean airlines of the combined
37 member states can fly any number of non-stop flights between
countries in both regions, ASEAN said on Friday.
Additionally, airlines will be permitted to fly up to 14 weekly
passenger services with one stop within the other region to pick
up passengers on the return leg. There will no limits on flights
with one stop to pick up cargo.
The agreement "provides essential guarantees of fair competition
for our European airlines and industry, while strengthening
reciprocal prospects for trade and investment," said Adina
Valean, the European Commissioner for Transport, according to
ASEAN's statement.
The EU is its third largest source of foreign investment and its
third largest trading partner, according to ASEAN.
The ASEAN-EU Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement (AE CATA), as
it will be known, will be submitted for review by lawyers and
signed at a later date, the statement said.
Brendan Sobie, a Singapore-based independent aviation analyst,
said the deal was a positive step for the airlines but issues
like securing slots could still be a challenge.
"The general idea here is to make ASEAN and EU airlines more
competitive compared to airlines from other regions, which have
been aggressively gaining market share in the ASEAN-EU market,"
he said.
"There may be issues that prevent these kind of routes from
actually operating. Slots have always been an issue in this
region which can make traffic rights irrelevant."
(Reporting by Chen Lin in Singapore; additional reporting by
Jamie Freed in Sydney; Editing by Martin Petty)
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