Singapore-led ASEAN locks down region-to-region aviation agreement with EU

The agreement will see non-stop flights between the regions.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) have successfully concluded negotiations this week on the ASEAN-EU Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement (AE CATA), the first region-to-region aviation agreement in the world.

The AE CATA aims to enhance air connectivity between ASEAN and Europe and facilitate people-to-people and business exchanges. 

The agreement will see the combined 37 member states fly any number of non-stop flights between countries in both regions.

The airlines will also be permitted to fly up to 14 weekly passenger services with one stop within the other region to pick up passengers on the return flight. There will be no limits on flights with one stop to pick up cargo.

Singapore led the negotiations for ASEAN while the European Commission (EC) led the negotiations for the European Union.

According to the Ministry of Transport, this will help support economic development in both regions as they work towards recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“In addition to air services liberalisation, the AE CATA provides for cooperation between ASEAN and the EU in areas such as aviation safety, air traffic management, consumer protection, and environmental and social issues,” the ministry said.