U.S., Israel to Partner on Open Skies Aviation Agreement

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood said that the United States and Israel have reached an Open Skies aviation agreement that will liberalize U.S.-Israel air services for the carriers of both countries. Israel becomes the 97th U.S. Open Skies partner.

Under the new agreement, airlines from both countries will be allowed to select routes and destinations based on consumer demand for both passenger and cargo services, without limitations on the number of U.S. or Israeli carriers that can fly between the two countries or the number of flights they can operate.

It will also provide unlimited opportunities for U.S. and Israeli carriers to serve the market through cooperative marketing arrangements, including codesharing. The previous U.S.-Israel agreement, while liberal in many respects, contained restrictions on codesharing opportunities and limitations on the cities that could be served. Open Skies will remove these restrictions and provide important new third-country codeshare opportunities for the carriers of both sides.