The EU-US Open Skies Agreement is an open air sky agreement between the European Union (EU) and the United States. This agreement allows EU airlines and any airline from the United States to fly between any point in the EU and any point in the United States. Both EU and US carriers are allowed to fly to further destinations in other countries after their initial discharge (Fifth Freedom Right). Since the EU is not treated as a single territory for the purposes of the Agreement, it means in practice that a US carrier can fly between two points in the EU as long as it is a continuation of a US-initiated flight (eg New York - London - Berlin). EU airlines are also allowed to fly between the United States and non-EU countries that are part of the European Joint Aviation Area, such as Switzerland. U.S. and U.S. Airlines may operate all cargo flights under the seventh Freedom right, which means that all US airline cargo flights may be operated from one EU country to another (including other EU countries) and all EU airline cargo airlines can operate between US and other countries. Norway and Iceland approved the Agreement from 2011 and their airline enjoys the same rights as the EU airline.
The agreement disappoints European airlines because they feel that the airline supports the United States airlines: while US airlines are allowed to operate intra-EU flights (if this is a cargo or passenger flight if it is the second leg of the flight starting in the US) European airlines are not allowed to operate intra-US flights or they are not allowed to purchase controlling shares in US carriers. The treaty replaces and replaces the previous open sky agreement between the US and each European country.
The original agreement was signed in Washington, D.C., on 30 April 2007. This agreement became effective March 30, 2008. The second phase was signed in June 2010 and has been applied temporarily pending ratification by all signatories.
Video EU-US Open Skies Agreement
Impact
London London-United States
Under the agreement, London Heathrow Airport is open for full competition. This terminates the exclusive rights granted only to two US carriers and two British airlines (established under the Bermuda Bermuda Treaty II in 1977, which remains applicable to UK overseas territorial rights to the US) to fly transatlantic services out of Heathrow. The four airlines are British Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airways, United Airlines, and American Airlines.
This right also exists for third country operators with a fifth freedom right to be carried out to transport passengers between London Heathrow and the United States. These rights were previously carried out by Air New Zealand (between Los Angeles-London Heathrow), Air India (between New York City-London Heathrow), and Kuwait Airways (also between New York City and London Heathrow). El Al also has such a right but chose not to use it, and Iran Air technically also has the same rights but is banned from flying to the US due to US government economic sanctions against Iran.
Delta Air Lines started service to London Heathrow from Atlanta, New York (JFK), Boston, Detroit and Seattle. Other airlines, such as Northwest Airlines, US Airways and Continental Airlines also started service to Heathrow, but have since ceased independent operations under these brand names, after mergers with airlines also serve Heathrow.
However, the expansion of transatlantic flights to or from Heathrow continues to be limited by the lack of runway capacity (currently two runways operate at over 98 percent capacity), government limits (especially when expansion plans to build the third runway and sixth terminals are canceled on May 12 2010, by the new coalition government), and the fact that many take-off slots are owned by incumbent airlines (IAG airlines, including British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia, account for 54% of slots).
Price
There is little consensus as to whether increased transatlantic competition will have any effect on tariffs. Some believe that the market is already very competitive. Other sources have predicted radical changes, such as the EUR10 flight.
There have been a number of new arrivals coming to the market in recent years, who have adapted cheap short-haul airline models to transatlantic routes. Initially in 2007, Ryanair announced that it plans to start a new airline (RyanAtlantic) that will operate long-haul flights between Europe and the United States but the project was canceled. However, by 2014 Norwegian Air Shuttle announces it will start low-cost flights to the US from the Republic of Ireland and then the UK, partly made possible by new wide and narrow body planes with improved fuel efficiency and range. Ireland and then its new British subsidiary applying for US permission to operate these routes, which meet with resistance in the US. Finally, after the European Commission said it would start an arbitration procedure under the Agreement, the US granted the right of Norwegian subsidiaries to fly to the US. Other low-cost long-distance airlines, such as LEVEL, Primera Air and Wizz Air, have entered the market.
UK Consequences Leaving EU
There is some debate as to what the consequences of leaving the European Union (Brexit) in 2019 will be on British and US airlines flying between England and the United States. Both the European Union and the EU's Foreign Affairs Minister, David Davis MP, have since stressed the possibility that the UK will abandon the EU-US Open Skies Agreement. Then it has emerged that the UK has started negotiations with the US on future US-British Air Transport Agreements.
Maps EU-US Open Skies Agreement
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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