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Singapore Signs Landmark Aviation Agreement With The European Union 
Posted on Friday, June 09, 2006 - 09:00 AM

Singapore and the European Union have signed a new aviation agreement, marking an important first step towards a fully liberalised aviation framework between the European Union (EU) and Singapore. The agreement was signed in Luxembourg today between Mr Hubert Gorbach, Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister for Transport, Innovation and Technology, President-in-office of the Council of the EU, Mr Jacques Barrot, Vice-President of the European Commission with responsibility for Transport, and Singapore’s Minister of State for Transport, Mrs Lim Hwee Hua.

2 Today’s agreement is a first between the EU and an Asian country. Besides allowing all European airlines to fly between any EU state and Singapore, it also grants Singapore the flexibility to pursue the liberalisation of her bilateral air services agreements with individual EU Member States. More significantly, this agreement paves the way towards an Open Aviation Area between Singapore and the EU in the long-term, which would remove all barriers to market access and provide for regulatory convergence.

3 Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, Minister of State for Transport and Finance, who signed the agreement said, “This landmark agreement is a milestone in Singapore’s aviation relations with the EU. It underscores our shared market-driven approach in aviation policy, and is a recognition of the benefits that a more liberal global air services regime will bring, such as enhanced trade, tourism and investment flows. With Singapore as a premier air hub offering over 830 weekly services to the rest of ASEAN, today’s agreement allows all European carriers to fully leverage on Singapore’s connectivity as a key node in a thriving and rapidly-growing region. Singapore looks forward to the early conclusion of an Open Aviation Area with the EU.”

4 To date, Singapore has concluded fully liberal agreements with 4 member states: Austria, Luxembourg, Finland and Lithuania; and negotiated liberal agreements with the UK, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Denmark and Malta. With 128 weekly services between Singapore and the EU, passenger traffic grew by 3.1% and freight traffic by 5.8% in the first four months of 2006 compared with the same period last year.

Ministry of Transport
9 June 2006