Qatar and European Union (EU) on Tuesday announced that they have concluded almost eight years of negotiations for a landmark comprehensive air transport agreement.
The Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement, a first of its kind agreed by Brussels and a country in the Middle East, will enable carriers from all EU countries to have far greater access to Qatar and vice-versa.
Addressing a press conference on the sidelines of CAPA Qatar Aviation, Aeropolitical and Regulatory Summit in Doha on Tuesday, European Commission Mobility and Transport Director General Henrik Hololei said negotiations are complete and the landmark deal will be formally signed within six months once necessary formalities are over.
“Both parties headed by European Commissioner for Mobility and Transport Violeta Bulc and Qatar’s Minister of Transport and Communications HE Jassim bin Saif al Sulaiti respectively have approved the text of the agreement and a formal deal will be signed by them later this year,” Hololei said.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar al Baker said, “Our hope is that the success of these negotiations will encourage other trading blocs and significant aviation markets to join in achieving a liberalised global aviation regime for future generations.”
“This historic agreement will provide a significant competitive edge to air carriers of both the sides and a sustainable framework for future operations. As a result, all air carriers from the 28 European Union member states and Qatar now have unlimited and unrestricted access to their respective territories,” Baker said.
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“Through these negotiations, both sides have demonstrated that positive engagement can build trust among nations, so they can embrace the benefits of competition. The agreement will offer a common platform for airlines in Europe and Qatar to understand each other better, creating new opportunities for collaboration and cooperation,” Baker said.
Hololei said the deal will also form the basis for a forward looking aviation partnership between Qatar and EU in areas of safety, security and modernisation of air traffic management.”
“It will also include fair competition laws and pave way for similar kind of agreements with other countries in the region,” he said.
“Thanks to the strong commitment of all parties, we have managed to reconcile our differences and found common ground through honest engagement and open dialogue,” he said.
As part of this agreement, he said, Qatar and EU have taken bold steps by agreeing to articles on fair competition, environment, consumer protection, social aspects, and transparency, as well as the inclusion of a doing-business provision, which exempts EU carriers from the obligation to hire a local general sales agent in Qatar.
Through this historic agreement, Qatar has demonstrated once again that despite the ongoing intra-regional geopolitical tensions due to the illegal blockade imposed on the nation, it remains a leader on the global stage.
