S'pore, Brunei sign open skies pact

S'pore, Brunei sign open skies pact

SINGAPORE (AFP): Singapore and Brunei on Saturday signed an
open skies agreement allowing their airlines unrestricted
routing, frequency and capacity between and beyond both
countries, officials said.

The open skies pact, signed here by Singapore's Communications
Minister Mah Bow Tan and his Brunei counterpart, Pehin Zakaria
Sulaiman, is the first among members of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), officials said.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Earlier this year, Brunei and Singapore set the pace towards
liberalization of air services in the region by being the first
two Asian countries to conclude open skies agreements with the
United States.

"Today, we are about to take another step in the same
direction by signing the first open skies agreement within
ASEAN," Mah said before placing his signature on the agreement.

Currently, Singapore Airlines operates seven weekly passenger
services to Brunei while Royal Brunei Airlines operates 17
services to Singapore with three services going beyond to
Calcutta, Dubai and London.

Mah said that the bilateral pact effectively granted Singapore
Airlines and Royal Brunei Airlines unrestricted market access.

He said liberalization on a bilateral basis presently offered
the best prospect for more competitive air services because open
skies on a multilateral basis was not expected to come about
immediately.

"Different countries are at different stages of development,
and have their own views about an open skies regime. These
concerns need to be taken into account before multilateral open
skies can be achieved," Mah said.

Brunei's minister Pehin Zakaria hoped other ASEAN members
would also embrace the open skies concept.

"We look forward to a time when we can share this concept of
open skies with our colleagues and partners in ASEAN," he said.

Pehan Zakaria said Brunei planned to emerge as a service hub
for trade and tourism by 2003 by developing its international
airport as a distribution center for cargo and passengers for the
East ASEAN Growth Area.

Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines are developing
the growth zone to boost investments and trade under an ASEAN
sub-regional project.