This Caribbean Country Is The Latest To Sign An Open Skies Agreement With The U.S.

By NAN Contributor

News Americas, WASHINGTON, D.C., Fri. Sept. 30, 2016: The Dutch Caribbean country of Curaçao has become one of only a handful from the region that has entered into an Open Skies Agreement with the U.S.; a move that is expected to see a deepening of commercial and economic ties between the two countries.

The United States has achieved Open Skies with over 100 partners from every region of the world and at every level of economic development. In the Americas, the countries with open skies agreement with the US are: Jamaica, the Netherland Antilles, Aruba, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama.

U.S. Consul General Margaret D. Hawthorne and Curaçao Minister for Traffic, Transport and Urban Planning Suzanne Camelia-Römer signed the Agreement between the United States and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in respect of Curaçao on Tuesday, September 27, 2016.

The agreement is the result of negotiations by the Departments of State, Transportation, and Commerce with their counterparts in the Governments of Curaçao and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

It establishes the framework for a modern commercial aviation relationship and according to the US State Department, “will create opportunities for growth in air transportation services as well as offer potential benefits for travelers, airlines, and businesses.”

The two sides also hope to advance economic growth in sectors beyond aviation, including tourism.

Open Skies agreements have vastly expanded international passenger and cargo flights to and from the United States, promoting increased travel and trade, enhancing productivity, and spurring high-quality job opportunities and economic growth.  Open Skies agreements do this by eliminating government interference in the commercial decisions of air carriers about routes, capacity, and pricing, freeing carriers to provide more affordable, convenient, and efficient air service for consumers.

America’s Open Skies policy has gone hand-in-hand with airline globalization.  By allowing air carriers unlimited market access to our partners’ markets and the right to fly to all intermediate and beyond points, Open Skies agreements provide maximum operational flexibility for airline alliances.

In addition to bilateral Open Skies agreements, the United States has negotiated two multilateral Open Skies accords:  (1) the 2001 Multilateral Agreement on the Liberalization of International Air Transportation (MALIAT) with New Zealand, Singapore, Brunei, and Chile, later joined by Samoa, Tonga, and Mongolia; and (2) the 2007 Air Transport Agreement with the European Community and its 27 Member States.