Airline Open Skies agreements

Question

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!

In: 3

Answer 1

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.