Karen Walker/PHOENIX
While the USA explores a proposal from Europe for a transatlantic common aviation area (TCAA) to replace open skies agreements, it seems increasingly likely that first to the post will be similar agreement between the USA, Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore.
At May's Phoenix Sky Harbour Airport symposium on whether common aviation areas (CAAs) might lead the way to multilateral open skies, it became clear that a TCAA faces many hurdles. Not least is the European Union's insistence that cabotage should be allowed under any deal and that airline ownership restrictions be abolished. Unions on both sides of the Atlantic are also wary.
However, enthusiasm for the proposed US-Brunei-Chile-New Zealand-Singapore agreement seems strong and would be far less controversial. Stanley Kuppusammy, vice president, international relations at Singapore Airlines, says such a CAA would require "no more than a tweak of the open skies template" and would become a "mini-Pacific CAA" that might prompt others towards greater liberalisation.
Source: Airline Business