China, EU Sign Milestone Agreements On Civil Aviation Cooperation
Liao Shumin
DATE:  May 21 2019
/ SOURCE:  yicai

(Yicai Global) May 21 -- China and the European Commission signed two milestone agreements on civil aviation yesterday, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The two agreements are the Agreement on Civil Aviation Safety between China and the European Union (EU), and the Agreement between China and the EU on Certain Aspects of Air Services.

The main objective of the first agreement is to support worldwide trade in aircraft and related products, the EU said in the statement.

This agreement will remove the unnecessary duplication of evaluation and certification activities for aeronautical products by the civil aviation authorities, and therefore reduce costs for the aviation sector, the statement read. The agreement will also promote cooperation between the EU and China towards a high level of civil aviation safety and environmental compatibility.

The second agreement marks China's recognition of the principle of EU designation, whereby all EU airlines will be able to fly to China from any EU member state with a bilateral air services agreement with China under which unused traffic rights are available.

Up until now, only airlines owned and controlled by a given member state or its nationals could fly between that member state and China. The conclusion of a horizontal agreement will thereby bring bilateral air services agreements between China and EU member states into conformity with EU law -- a renewed legal certainty which will be beneficial to airlines on both sides, it said.

Editor: William Clegg

Follow Yicai Global on
Keywords:   European Commission,cvil aviation