ATW Online
Tuesday May 16, 2006
EU and US aviation officials concluded aviation negotiations in Brussels last week with predictable results: The pushing back of the deadline to reach agreement on the transatlantic Open Aviation Area.The stumbling block remains limits on foreign ownership in US carriers and the recently revised Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued by the US Dept. of Transportation (ATWOnline, May 4).
EU negotiators had been expecting a firm proposal last month that, if satisfactory to the member states, would have opened the way to the signing of an open skies agreement at the EU Transport Council in June. However, the US has extended its internal decision-making process, meaning the EU will not receive a firm proposal until later this year. The earliest an agreement could come into force would be the summer 2007 traffic season.
"The issue is whether the US are serious about treating global aviation like a mature industry and facilitating foreign investment into airlines," AEA Secretary General Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus stressed. "AEA members fully support the objective of enhancing opportunities for foreign investment based on their longstanding objective of creating an Open Aviation Area between the EU and the US. We realize that this is a phased process, but it is regrettable that domestic pressures in the US are creating unnecessary delay and give rise to all sorts of speculation."