UAE GCAA hosts liberalization of air transport between Arab states meeting
19-Sep-2010 The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority on 15th and 16th September 2010 hosted the second meeting of the working group formed by the Arab ministers of transport to review the provisions and the by-laws of the agreement of the liberalization of air transport between Arab countries known as Damascus Agreement.
The meetings were presided over by H.E Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of the GCAA and Chairman of the Executive Council of the Arab Civil Aviation Commission (ACAC), and were attended by representatives of the Damascus Agreement signatory states UAE, Yemen, Sultanate of Oman, Lebanon and Syria in addition to Sudan, Egypt and Tunisia, League of Arab States, ACAC and Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO).
During the first day of the meeting, representatives attended a workshop conducted by Dr. Alan Khee Jin Tan the Air Transport Law professor of the Singapore National University. The workshop covered air transport liberalization between the member states of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), EU and Arab Word. Similarities and differences in legal frameworks, infrastructure and phased implementation in all three regions were through discussed.
During the second day, the meeting discussed a questionnaire presented by the GCAA for distribution to the Arab states aimed to probe on the obstacles facing the Arab states from either ratifying or implementing the Damascus Agreement.
The meeting was concluded with a number of recommendations urging the Arab states that did not ratify the Agreement to do so as soon as possible and those who ratified the Agreement to implement it and not to conclude bilateral air services agreement with members who ratified the Damascus agreement.
The meeting also recommended holding a conference on the Damascus Agreement to be attended by heads of civil aviation authorities in Arab states to discuss and agree on a road map for the implementation of the Agreement.