Singapore transport minister to visit Australia

Airline Industry Information, Feb 9, 2005

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

Singapore's transport minister will travel to Australia this week with the hope of securing rights for national carrier Singapore Airlines to fly onward to the United States from Australia.

Minister Yeo Cheow Tong is to meet his counterpart John Anderson next Monday (14 February) to address what Singapore believes is an imbalance in air links, reported The Straits Times newspaper.

Both countries have argued for more access to each other's airspace, with Singapore Airlines requesting more onward flights from Australia, and Qantas Airways seeking more Asian points from its stopovers in Singapore, the newspaper said.

Some 24 of Qantas' 45 weekly flights to Singapore head to points in Europe, while all of the 80 weekly flights that Singapore Airlines operates to Australia end there, which is a proof of imbalance, said Yeo quoted by The Straits Times.

Yeo wanted to arrange with Anderson negotiations for a full open skies agreement, which would allow Singapore Airlines to start services on the Australia-United States route, reported the newspaper.

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