NIGERIA has fully
implemented an open-skies
policy.
Tefera Nekonnen, director
of air transport at the African
Civil Aviation Commission,
told TNW that Nigeria’s move
to open its skies was a step
towards the implementation of
the Yamoussoukro Decision,
which was established
in 1999 for the gradual
liberalisation of scheduled
and non-scheduled intra-Africa
air transport services.
Currently, carriers fly
between countries using
bilateral agreements, wherein
the carrier is given a certain
amount of traffic or freedom
rights to operate into that
country (see TNW August
10). Now that Nigeria has
implemented the open-skies
agreement, there will be no
limitation on the flights a
carrier can operate into the
country. This follows Nigeria’s
signing of the Declaration of
Solemn Commitment towards
the immediate implementation
of the Yamoussoukro Decision
and the establishment of a
single African air transport
market by 2017, which was
signed in January last year.
Tefera added that the
Solemn Declaration would
be fully implemented by July
31, 2017, by each of the
14 states that had signed
it, and not the December 31
deadline initially reported.
Yamoussoukro Decision gains altitude
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