Hi, sorry I know it’s a very niche topic but I’m writing a Uni assignment on Open Skies agreements and I don’t understand them at all. Does it relate to the freedoms of the air?
I understand if most people don’t understand either but hopefully there is one or two people out there who can help!
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Yes it does, it usually refers to the Chicago agreement and supplemental agreements.
Not exactly sure what you’re unsure about, but Wendover Productions did a good video explaining these different freedoms: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thqbjA2DC-E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thqbjA2DC-E)
Are you talking about things like the Australian-US & EU-US open skies agreements or things like the international treaty on open skies?
The simplest way I can do it is it grants airlines 5 freedoms.
1 – The right of airlines to fly over a foreign country without landing on it’s way to a third country. EG, a BA flight flying over France on it’s way to Spain.
2 – The right of airlines to land in a foreign country for technical stops. EG a flight From London to Sidney landing in Calcutta for refuelling.
3 – The right to fly from one country to an other country. EG , London to Paris.
4 – The right to fly from one country to an other country on a flight originating or terminating in it’s own country. EG Taking the Istanbul to Paris leg on an American Airlines flight going to New York
5 – The right to carry passengers from one foreign country to an other foreign country via their own country. EG, A Lisbon to Rome flight on Air France going Lisbon, Paris, Rome.
Russia was never part of the Open Skies agreement, instead charging airlines to use it’s own airspace. All they had to do is be slightly cheaper than using the Polar routes to Asia or flying through Anchorage like it used to be in the USSR days (Or now thanks to the war)
To go into another country you need permission. This includes flying into their airspace. An aircraft that breaks the rules may be shot down.
By default:
So if an airline wants to fly from country A to country B, they need to get permission from their destination airport to land, and also permission from country B to fly into their airspace and land. And they probably want permission to take off and fly back, too.
If that flight goes through the airspace of country C, they also need permission from country C to fly through their airspace.
Countries B and C probably want to make sure the aircraft is safe and not going to crash on their territory.
The airline probably also wants agreement that it can land anywhere in countries B or C if there is an emergency.
The airline will also have to comply with Country B and C’s rules about aircraft certification and maintenance, and about pilot qualifications and training.
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To simplify all this, lots of countries have negotiated treaties to allow simpler international flights.
For example, country B may allow all aircraft from country A to fly through its airspace, land at its international airports (subject to buying a landing slot from the airport), take off (subject to buying a takeoff slot from the airport), and do an emergency landing wherever necessary. Country B will also recognise that Country A’s aircraft maintenance rules are fine, and planes from Country A that meet those rules are allowed to fly into Country B. And they are allowed to have pilots trained according to Country A’s rules while doing that. In return, Country A does the same thing for Country B.
This kind of treaty is called an “open skies” agreement, because it means that the sky of both countries are open to aircraft and flights from the other country.
There may be limitations – such as foreign aircraft not being allowed to make domestic flights within the country, only international flights to / from the country.
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