SINGAPORE – Singapore and the United Kingdom have concluded a landmark open skies agreement, which removes all restrictions on air services operated by carriers of both countries.
Under this agreement, Singapore Airlines (SIA) is allowed to operate as many services as the Singapore-UK market can support.
A statement by the Singapore Ministry of Transport said SIA’s aircraft could also pick up passengers from London’s Heathrow Airport and fly them onwards to other cities, including those in the United States.
Similarly, UK carriers can operate any number of services beyond Singapore to any other city in the world.
The statement describes the agreement as a “ground-breaking” and “even more liberal than conventional open skies agreements” as it provides for unlimited hubbing and cabotage rights for carriers of both countries.
The rest of the statement reads: “Singapore carriers will be allowed to base their aircraft in the UK and use the UK as a hub to operate to any other country without any restriction on destination, frequency of service or capacity.
“The same privilege applies to UK carriers. The cabotage rights allow Singapore carriers to operate like a domestic carrier in the UK and to mount any number of services between UK cities,” it said.
These rights are effective from end-March 2008.
