Clears PAL Path To Spain and Israel
13 July 2018
The Philippines and Spain have signed an amended air transport agreement (ASA) which allows fifth freedom traffic for both countries.
Under the agreement, each of the parties may designate as many airlines as it wishes to operate both passenger and cargo operations. The Routes Chart is totally open and flexible, allowing airlines to freely select points located in the territory of the other party to operate with third and fourth freedom rights (possibility of embarking or disembarking passengers and cargo whose journey can only have origin or destination in the two countries).
In addition, for intermediate points and points beyond, they may provide their services under the fifth freedom regime (possibility of embarking or disembarking passengers and cargo whose journey has its origin or destination in third countries).
Likewise, the code-sharing operation is facilitated so that they can sign agreements of this type with companies from other countries to carry out flights between Spain and the Philippines.
“This agreement is another step to strengthen the connectivity of our country, thus facilitating the projection of Spain in the international context”, the government regulator said.
In 2009, the Philippines and Spain have sealed a new
Air Services Agreement (ASA), fielding 28 weekly flights for each country, said the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB).
From Manila to Madrid and Barcelona, there were seven flights per week awarded to the Philippines.
To Madrid and Barcelona from Clark’s International Airport, 14 weekly flights were allocated.
Other points in the country, except Manila and Clark, were allotted seven flights in a week. The same goes for Spain, in which daily flights were also made available except for Madrid and Barcelona.
The ASA were not however enough to entice airlines to field flights between two end points citing inadequate traffic. There are however multiple airlines in the gulf region and Turkey providing one stop service to the Philippines.
Philippine Ambassador to Spain Philippe J. Lhuillier and Spanish Minister of Public Work and Transport José Luis Ábalos signed the updated agreement in Madrid on June 12, 2018.
Philippine Airlines(PAL) plans to introduce the route in 2019 with Airbus A340-300 aircraft. PAL intends to fly the route via intermediate points in Tel Aviv which recently was granted overflight rights, together with India, to Israel over Saudi Arabian airspace.
The government earlier secured Fifth Freedom rights to Israel in November 2013 for beyond points in India and Spain but only now did the latter allowed amendments to its air bilateral allowing PAL to finally fly the route to Spain.
Under the new agreement with Israel, the designated airlines of each country are entitled to a total of 21 flights a week, between any points in the Philippines and Israel.
CAB official added that, “We also agreed on three fifth-freedom flights per week on one intermediate point in Mumbai and one beyond point in Madrid.”
