The ASEAN-EU aviation agreement provides a foundation for closer cooperation between the two blocs in areas such as aviation safety, air traffic management, consumer protection and environmental and social matters.
1. Air transport agreement
After six years of negotiations, the European Union finalized a deal with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to increase flights between the two trading blocs. The deal, signed yesterday in Bali, Indonesia, under the 28th ASEAN transport ministers meeting, is the world’s first bloc-to-bloc air transport agreement and will open up services for carriers including Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Air France-KLM, Singapore Airlines Ltd, Thai Airways International and Malaysia Airlines.
The agreement will help to support the aviation sector’s recovery post-Covid-19, and restore much-needed connectivity between our two regions, to the benefit of some 1.1 billion people, by enabling greater business, trade, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
Adina Valean, EU Transport Commissioner
The ASEAN-EU Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement (CATA), the world’s first bloc-to-bloc air transport agreement, has been concluded today!✈️📝
— EU in ASEAN (@EUinASEAN) October 17, 2022
It gives airlines greater opportunities to operate passenger and cargo services between & beyond both regions. 🛩#EUinASEAN #AECATA pic.twitter.com/IPnzd2GbMA
Under the new agreement, airlines from the two blocs can operate unlimited flights between the EU and ASEAN, replacing more limited bilateral arrangements. In addition, they’ll be able to fly as many 14 weekly passenger services and any number of cargo flights via a third country or beyond to another country. Overall, the new pact replaces more than 140 bilateral air services agreements, providing a single set of rules.
I believe that the ASEAN-EU CATA will strengthen air transport services, connecting people, cultures, and businesses across continents, as well as supporting the sustainable growth of aviation.
Dato Lim Jock Hoi, the Secretary-General of ASEAN
Singapore’s Transport Minister and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations S. Iswaran said the agreement opens up new growth opportunities for the aviation industry as the sector recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic.
2. 45th birthday of EU-ASEAN partnership
As this year marks the 45th birthday of partnership between the EU and ASEAN, the new agreement reflects previous cooperation that had been cited by the two parts. The two blocs have reiterated increased mutual support with the introduction of two new tools: the ASEAN Trade Repository and ASEAN Solution for Investment, Services and Trade, in place to support stronger intra-ASEAN trade and reinforce supply chains.
This year marks the 45th anniversary of ASEAN-EU Dialogue Relations, and to commemorate this historic occasion, it is heartening that ASEAN and EU signed the world’s first region-to-region air transport agreement in Bali and set a significant milestone in world aviation history.
Dato Lim Jock Hoi, the Secretary-General of ASEAN
Passengers from ASEAN and the EU can look forward to a greater variety of destinations, more flight frequencies and more travel options between South-East Asia and Europe.
