US and Israel sign Open Skies agreement

Israel and the US reached (23-Apr-2010) an Open Skies agreement that will liberalise US-Israel air services for the carriers of both countries. Israel becomes the 97th US open skies partner. Under the new agreement, airlines from both countries will be allowed to select routes and destinations based on consumer demand for passenger and cargo services, without limitations on the number of carriers that can operate between the two countries or the number of services they can operate. It will also provide unlimited opportunities for US and Israeli carriers to serve the market through cooperative marketing arrangements, including codesharing. The previous US-Israel agreement contained restrictions on codesharing opportunities and limits on the cities that could be served. The agreement will take effect following a formal signing. [more]