Open Skies Agreements
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.
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 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.
- Open Skies Agreements Fact Sheet
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Current Model Open Skies Agreement Text [
PDF version]
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Full List of Open Skies Partners [
PDF version]
- Economic Impact of Aviation Liberalization
Texts of Open Skies Agreements, Air Transport Agreements, Press Releases, and Other Documents
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