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Canada and El Salvador successfully conclude air transport agreement

Direct News Source

29-Apr-2010 Canada’s Transport Minister John Baird and the Honourable Peter Van Loan, Minister of International Trade, today announced that an open skies-type bilateral air transport agreement has been concluded between Canada and El Salvador.

This new agreement is another accomplishment under Canada's Blue Sky international air transportation policy, and is great news for travellers and Canadian businesses.

"Since 2006, the Government of Canada has worked at an unprecedented pace to sign or improve air agreements that allow for greater benefits to Canadian consumers, businesses and our tourism sectors," said Baird. "This new agreement with El Salvador is part of our commitment to improve and expand air services between Canada and Central America."

"This agreement will encourage new trade and investment between Canada and El Salvador," said Minister Van Loan. "The air agreement with El Salvador will help Canadian businesses expand their interests beyond our borders, which in turn will create wealth and prosperity at home - another example of Canada's continued engagement with the Americas."

"Deepening Canada's engagement with the Americas is a priority for this government. This open skies agreement will play an important role in strengthening bilateral relations and will help foster greater people-to-people links between our two countries," said the Honourable Peter Kent, Minister of Foreign Affairs (Americas).

The agreement, which will replace an agreement negotiated in 1996, provides airlines with substantial flexibility for route selection, frequency of service and price setting. Any number of airlines may sell air transportation between each other's territory and third countries, in conjunction with scheduled passenger and/or all-cargo air services between the two countries operated at any number of cities in each other's territory.

New air services are anticipated by airlines of both countries in the near future. Constitutional requirements in El Salvador permit the new agreement to come into force only after it has been ratified.

Since January 2006, the Government of Canada has negotiated open, new or expanded air service agreements with a total of 52 countries, including: