China View
The European Union (EU) signed an aviation agreement on Tuesday with Israel which will allow EU airlines to operate direct flights to Israel from anywhere in the 27-nation bloc.
“The agreement signed today is good news for Israeli and European airlines and passengers, as it removed the legal uncertainty from the bilateral air services agreements,” said Antonio Tajani, vice president of the European Commission responsible for transport.
Currently, EU airlines can only fly from airports of their home country to Israel since the existing bilateral air services agreements were signed between EU member states and Israel.
The new agreement removed nationality restrictions in those bilateral deals.
“This so-called ‘horizontal’ aviation agreement does not replace the bilateral agreements in place between the Israel and 27 EU member states, but brings these in line with European law,” the Commission said.
The EU has been negotiating with 38 countries worldwide on horizontal agreements. Nearly 800 bilateral air services agreements have already been modified.
The Commission said it also started negotiations with Israel on a more comprehensive aviation agreement, which will gradually open up the air transport market and provide for regulatory cooperation in the fields of aviation safety, security and environmental protection.
