An Open Skies agreement between the United States and Brazil was given a green light by the Brazilian Senate on March 7, 2018, and is now expected to be approved by the country’s president, coming into force some seven years after its preliminary approval in 2011.
The Open Skies agreement opens opportunities for airlines to operate unlimited number of flights between the two countries. It does not, however, allow U.S. carriers to operate domestic routes in Brazil.
The move was already hailed by American Airlines. The agreement it is a prerequisite for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s approval for the U.S. carrier to make a joint business agreement (JBA) with its Brazilian counterpart LATAM Airlines.
“American has long advocated for the approval of an Open Skies policy between the U.S. and Brazil,” said American’s Chairman and CEO Doug Parker in a statement. “Open Skies agreements have proven to increase travel choices and enhance competition, resulting in greater benefits for consumers and positively impacting economic growth. American applauds the actions of the Brazilian Congress to approve this Open Skies agreement with the U.S., paving the way for the approval and implementation of our joint business with LATAM.”
The American-LATAM JBA was announced in January 2016 and covers all travel between the U.S. and Canada and Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. The JBA already received regulatory approval from Brazil (October 2017), Colombia (May 2017) and Uruguay (November 2016).
Source – AeroTime
