Air Transport News.

For more company news, data and analysis, please go to: http://www.airguideonline.com/professional.htm Jun 19, 2006

China and Taiwan continued to relax air transport restrictions with the decision to allow more direct flights during holiday periods and cargo charters for the first time, Reuters reported. Flights operated between the countries during the Chinese New Year proved popular and led to calls for increased service. Passenger flights could take place as early as October's Mid-Autumn Festival, Taiwan Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Joseph Wu said. Cargo flights will be allowed on a case-by-case basis. Six airlines from each country will be allowed to operate a combined 168 roundtrip flights per year during four select holiday periods. Jun 16, 2006

U.S. must improve image to draw foreign tourists. The U.S. needs a marketing campaign to revive its image around the world, according to the Travel Industry Association of America. The group is urging the government to fund marketing efforts. Jun 14, 2006

House declining intervention was the right decision. Air-traffic controllers and the Federal Aviation Administration could not reach an agreement after months of talking in the long-running labor dispute. According to a Kansas City Star editorial, Congress was right to stay out of the matter. The newspaper says controllers deserve to be well compensated for their work, but a slowdown in the rate of pay increases is reasonable. Jun 12, 2006

European Union Friday advanced its aim to liberalize international air transport broadly, reaching terms with Singapore and opening for signature an agreement to create a single European air market by 2010. The "horizontal" agreement with Singapore, which removes nationality restrictions contained in bilateral accords between that country and individual EU member states, is the first the EU has signed with an Asian economy. The deal allows any EU airline to operate flights between any EU nation where it is established and Singapore, gives Singapore the right to seek further-liberalized aviation agreements with EU states and puts in place the framework for an eventual open skies accord that would remove all restrictions for flights between the EU and Singapore. The common aviation area agreement opened for signature represents the "first steps" toward a single European market comprising 35 countries and 500 million people, the EU said in statement. It would extend the European aviation market beyond the 25 EU members to 10 additional nations comprising eight Southeast European countries, Iceland and Norway. The EU has set 2010 as its goal for implementing the common aviation area, which aims to harmonize safety and security regulations and liberalize market access among the 35 nations. Jun 12, 2006