The following is a quote from the media statement just released in London:
"The UK and New Zealand today initialled a ground-breaking new aviation agreement on air services.
"The new liberalising deal removes almost all restrictions on air services between and beyond the two countries. It opens access to each country's aviation market for the other country's airlines, and applies state aids rules to ensure a level playing field for competition. It also liberalises arrangements on a wide range of further issues including marketing arrangements, ground-handling and other operational matters.
"The previous arrangements meant that flights between the UK and New Zealand were in practice limited to seven per week for each side. This and a raft of other restrictions are removed, creating the most liberal agreement of its kind.
"Aviation Minister Karen Buck MP said:
'I am delighted by this new deal, which will be good for consumers and for the aviation industry both in the UK and New Zealand, and which I hope may become a model for other future agreements. Airline passengers already benefit from liberal arrangements in Europe; this is a major step towards extending these liberal principles into our aviation relations with other countries.'
"One restriction retained for the present is a limit on the number of passengers that may be carried by airlines from New Zealand on routes between Heathrow or Gatwick and the USA. This reflects the fact that restrictions currently apply to UK airlines on this route under the current bilateral agreement with the US, pending resolution of the talks about a new transatlantic agreement between the European Community and the United States.
The UK-New Zealand deal will be put into effect as soon as internal procedures in New Zealand are completed."
For the full media statement see:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pns/displaypn.cgi?pn_id=2005_0060
With the UK now New Zealand's second biggest source of visitors after Australia, some big decisions ahead for Air New Zealand! How much for those Heathrow slots???