KLM welcomes EU-US aviation agreement

This week, the European Council of Transport Ministers unanimously approved the aviation agreement concluded by European and US negotiators on 2 March. The agreement means considerable new opportunities for the traveling public, airlines and labor on both sides of the Atlantic.

European and U.S. airlines will be in a position to operate or market services between any point in the EU and the U.S., and local communities should benefit as airlines seek to explore new opportunities and serve new destinations.

AIR FRANCE and KLM will therefore be in a position to expand both their own network and the SkyTeam alliance network, and offer their customers new transatlantic routes.

By enhancing competition, this agreement will also allow EU and US antitrust authorities to approve more commercial integration inside alliances. This will benefit global alliances like SkyTeam, which will be in a position to deliver a seamless world-wide product to customers.

AIR FRANCE and KLM have always supported the principle of such an agreement as it will allow US and European airlines to pursue their activities in a stable regulatory framework. This agreement will replace the many bilateral open skies agreements signed by the majority of EU member states with the United States, certain provisions of which infringed EU law in the eyes of the European Court of Justice.

The aviation agreement between the EU and US means that the concept of a Community Airline will be recognized by Europe’s major trade partner. AIR FRANCE KLM, Europe’s leading air transport group, is most satisfied with the outcome of this proposed deal and hopes that the initial steps in the liberalization process will be implemented and finalized without delay to pave the way for liberalized and harmonized trans-Atlantic air travel services.