The number of flights between Kazakhstan and China will be increased to 124 flights per week, a statement from the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan says, Zakon.kz reports.
The decision was made in the city of Xi'an during the first Conference of the China-Central Asia (C5+1) Civil Aviation Cooperation Working Group, where negotiations were held between the aviation authorities of Kazakhstan and China. The Kazakh delegation was led by Chairperson of the Civil Aviation Committee Saltanat Tompiyeva, and the Chinese delegation was led by Deputy Director General of the International Relations Department of the Civil Aviation Administration of China Bai Wenli.
"During the negotiations, an agreement was reached to expand the number of permitted frequencies for designated carriers of the two countries to 124 flights per week and the possibility of operating cargo flights without any restrictions on points and frequencies," the statement said.
Additionally, the number of designated carriers was increased, and new destinations within China were added for flights.
"In turn, Kazakh airlines received the right to operate an unlimited number of flights to destinations on Hainan Island (the cities of Sanya, Haikou, and Qionghai), including using the fifth, sixth, and seventh 'freedom of the air' rights," according to the Kazakh ministry's statement.
Following the negotiations, the "open skies" regime was established for the first time between the two countries, allowing designated carriers from both countries to operate up to 42 flights per week using the fifth "freedom of the air" rights.
"The Republic of Kazakhstan has become one of the few countries in the world (along with the USA and several European countries) whose carriers have been granted the right to operate flights to China using the fifth 'freedom of the air' rights," reports the press service of the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan.
China is a strategic partner of Kazakhstan in many areas, making the expansion of the legal framework for flights between the countries an important step for the further development of cooperation, the statement said.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
June 21, 2024