The New Zealand Government and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have begun talks on a unified air services agreement seen to improve the overall quality of air services within the region.
Transport Minister Phil Twyford said ASEAN is a vital partner in the region and the two-day talks between Kiwi officials and Cambodia’s Minister in Charge of the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation, Minister Mao Havanall, will strengthen the ties of New Zealand with South East Asia.
“While New Zealand has negotiated individual air services agreements with each of the ten ASEAN member states, there are differences between them. A single regional agreement would raise the overall quality of air services within the region, ensure a consistent set of rules for air travel, and create new growth opportunities for ASEAN and New Zealand airlines," Twyford said in a statement.
The ASEAN consists of Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Brunei, Cambodia, and Laos.
“This could mean more destinations, more flights, and better air fares for Kiwis traveling to South East Asia in the future," he added.
Twyford noted that the current air service agreements with ASEAN countries have contributed to the growth of tourism in New Zealand, with visitors from South East Asia nearly doubling since 2013 to over 210,000 last year.
A regional agreement would make it even easier for visitors to come to New Zealand, further fueling this growth, he added.
“New Zealand has already benefited from an increasing number of airlines both operating and code-sharing here, and this has helped us achieve around four million tourist arrivals last year - worth over $11 billion to our economy," the Transport official further said.
Traditionally, air services are negotiated on a country-by-country basis, resulting in an international aviation system governed by over 3000 such agreements.
The agreements often do not align, meaning lost opportunities. The value of an agreement with one country is reduced if complementary rights have not been secured with another country.
Each bilateral agreement also creates a unique regulatory environment for airlines —customs procedures, setting up of local offices and sending earnings back to home countries.
Because various agreements differ in detail, airlines have to comply with varying requirements thereby creating costs and complexity. Regional air service agreements cut down on this complexity.
"Our ambitious program of international air services negotiations, based on the principle of open skies, means that most of the world’s major airlines can fly to New Zealand without restriction," Twyford added.
New Zealand has over 80 air services relationships, opening up new routes and ensuring competition on existing ones.