Macao and Turkey hold air talks and conclude with liberal provisions
The aeronautical authorities of Macao SAR and the Republic of Turkey held air talks on 01 October 2016 in Montreal and initialed the bilateral Air Services Agreement (ASA). The signed Agreement belongs to one of the most liberal standards as set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and will help to create a liberal environment for the development of the air transport market between the two places. Taking the opportunity during the attendance at the 39th ICAO Assembly at Montreal as part of the China Delegation, the Civil Aviation Authority of Macao SAR (AACM) met the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of Turkey to hold the bilateral ASA talks there. The meeting was held in a cordial and friendly atmosphere. Considering that any designated airlines of both parties will be able to enjoy the liberal conditions once they are interested to operate the route between the two places in the future, the two delegations adopted an open manner in their discussions and agreed that no limitations should be imposed. At the meeting which was held on 01 October 2016 (Montreal local time), the parties eventually confirmed and initialed the Agreement text. According to the Agreement and the Memorandum of Understanding, the two parties can enjoy multiple designation of airlines; the designated airlines can enjoy no restrictions on capacity in their operation of scheduled passenger and all-cargo flights; they can also enjoy fifth freedom traffic rights and no limitation on the number of points to be served. The President of AACM, Mr. Chan Weng Hong and the DGCA of Turkey, Mr. Bilal Eksi, initialed the Agreement on behalf of their governments. The Minister of Transport Maritime Affairs and Communications of the Republic of Turkey, Mr. Ahmet Arslan, presided at the signing ceremony as witness. Macao has concluded ASAs with 49 foreign countries; in other words, the framework which is necessary for the operation of scheduled services has already been established through the conclusion of these agreements. AACM emphasizes that these foreign countries are the main air transport markets in the world; most of these agreements belong to the liberal criteria. In the future, the SAR Government will continue to adopt flexible and facilitation measures to encourage both local and foreign airlines to operate services to and from Macao. In recent years, the number of visitors to Macao has been increasing; the passenger volume of Macau International Airport has also been reporting continuous growth; the air network has also been extending. Presently, a total of 30 local and foreign airlines operate in our airport, flying to a total of 45 destinations.