Bilateral agreements are a standard procedure between national aviation agencies as recommended by the International Civil Aviation organization (ICAO) and the Chicago Convention as well as meaning transparent relations said Colonel Wossenyeleh Hunegnaw, Director General of the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority.
Air service carriers such as Emirates, flydubai and Etihad have access to the Ethiopian market in spite of the absence of a Memorandum of Understanding between the countries. Etihad airlines in particular is calling for increased access to the Ethiopian market which can only realized with such an agreement according to sources.
Ethiopia is not blocking any airline but in the absence of an agreement there is no designated access right said Colonel Wossenyeleh.
The issue is primarily about the unlimited access enjoyed by Emirates and which Etihad has been unable to obtain resulting in a trade conflict t between the two carriers which has little to do with Ethiopian aviations according to sources.
Source: The Reporter
