MANILA, Philippines – The allocation for maximum number of flights that commercial airlines from the Philippines and United Arab Emirates (UAE) can mount between destinations in each country has been doubled to 28 a week.
After the bilateral negotiations last September 5 to 6, the two countries completed amending its air service agreement that covers the lucrative and high-traffic routes between destinations in each country.
The Philippines’ main gateway, Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila, was not included in the additional flight entitlements.
“We concluded an agreement with the UAE that increased entitlements from the current 14 flights per week to 28 for each side between Manila and UAE,” said Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) executive director Carmelo Arcilla in a text message.
On top of the bilaterally agreed flight entitlements, the two countries have also agreed on unlimited traffic rights between points in the Philippines, except Manila, to points in the UAE, Arcilla added.
Allowing unlimited traffic rights of UAE airlines to the Philippines is in accordance with Executive Order no. 29, the policy implementing “open skies,” which lifted restrictions in the entry of foreign carriers via airports near tourism areas.
Under the rules of the said EO, 3rd, 4th and 5th freedom rights are allowed. This means that foreign airlines can mount flights to and from any airports in the country, except the already congested NAIA, without restrictions on frequency, capacity and type of aircraft.
The rules are meant to attract foreign airlines to operate to the country’s secondary gateways, which are largely underserved by both international and local airlines.
Recently, air talks with Australia and Singapore bogged down. However, negotiations will resume in the next 6 months.
Australia was pressing for 5th freedom rights and code-sharing arrangements, while recent Philippines-Singapore air talks had unresolved ‘substantive and operational issues,’ including 5th Freedom Rights.
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Source: Rappler. (9 September 2012)
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