Airlines
UAE Willing To Start Open-Skies Talks with the European Union
European Commission gets mandate to start negotiations with Oman
An Etihad Airways Boeing 777 takes off from Madrid Barajas International Airport. (Image: Flickr: Creative Commons (BY) by Tiger's transports)
An Etihad Airways Boeing 777 takes off from Madrid Barajas International Airport. (Image: Flickr: Creative Commons (BY) by Tiger's transports)

More than two years after the European Commission invited the United Arab Emirates to enter into talks on concluding an EU-level comprehensive air transport agreement (CATA), the Gulf state has finally agreed to negotiate with Brussels. The formal approval follows pledges from Department of Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc that open skies with the bloc would offer more market access than what currently exits through the bilateral air transport agreements between the UAE and EU member countries, a European stakeholder told AIN. The development follows an agreement between the UAE and the U.S. earlier this year to resolve the years-long debate surrounding open skies policies between the two countries and alleged government subsidies.