Singapore, Australia to resume 'open skies' talks this month: Yeo
Singapore, Australia to resume 'open skies' talks this month: Yeo
Agence France-Presse, Singapore
Australian aviation officials will visit Singapore this month for
further talks on giving Singapore Airlines (SIA) the right to fly
the Australia-U.S. route, Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong said
on Wednesday.
"The Australian officials are due to visit us in two weeks'
time and we'll then know what progress we can expect," Yeo told
reporters in response to a question on a potential full "open
skies" agreement between the two nations.
Yeo said both parties were actively working towards resolving
the thorny issue of SIA securing access to the lucrative
Australia-U.S. route following a partial agreement in 2003.
"Between (Australian) Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson and
me, we had announced that we hoped to finalize a roadmap by the
middle of the year so we hope to keep to that target," he said,
referring to recent talks.
In the 2003 agreement, Australian flag carrier Qantas was
granted unrestricted rights to fly into Singapore's Changi
airport and onwards, giving the airline greater access to
European destinations.
Qantas, however, successfully lobbied the Australian
government to deny SIA similar access to fly from Australia to
the United States, which is one of the Australian carrier's most
profitable routes.
In a speech at the site of Singapore's upcoming low-cost
terminal, Yeo said Singapore needed to maintain a booming tourism
sector to stimulate its economy and would thus continue to pursue
"open skies" agreements with all interested nations.
"We are ready to conclude open skies agreements with all
countries that are willing to do so as such agreements are of
mutual benefit to the partner countries, their economies and
their people," he said.
A Transport Ministry spokeswoman said the Australian aviation
officials who would be coming to Singapore this month are from a
working group set up for concluding the bilateral open skies
agreement.