Britain has signed an ‘Open Skies’ deal with Singapore that will give their respective airlines free access to one another’s air travel markets.
According to Singapore’s transport ministry, the agreement was signed yesterday (October 2). It will mean that Singapore Airlines can operate as many services as the Singapore to UK market can support, as well as picking up passengers from Heathrow Airport and flying them on to destinations in other countries. British airlines will be able to do the same in Singapore.
Effectively, it means that the foreign airlines will be able to act like domestic carriers, operating hubs in each other’s countries. The changes will be effective from March next year.
“This is indeed a trail-blazing agreement concluded between two forward-looking countries that share a common objective of promoting free competition in the aviation sector,” said Singapore’s transport minister, Raymond Lim.
A separate Open Skies agreement between the EU and the US was brokered earlier this year (see related Cheapflights story).
The deal will allow more freedom for airlines such as Aer Lingus and bmi to fly to North America, and is likely to lead to cheaper air fares.
