Silverjet calls for open skies commitment
February 19, 2007Silverjet chief executive Lawrence Hunt has called on the government to express its commitment to the "open skies plus" agreement between the European Union and America.
According to Travel Mole, Mr Hunt is confident that liberalising the rules for international aviation will bring great benefits and he has voiced his frustration at the time it has taken to build on earlier progress.
"It is beyond me why, over three years after negotiations began, the various government bodies have been unable to implement open skies sooner," he said, in a letter seen by Travel Mole.
"We are on the threshold of achieving such a landmark agreement, one that goes significantly beyond the bilateral open skies model of the past."
Launching the resumption of talks between the EU and the US earlier this month, Jacques Barrot, vice president of the European Commission in charge of transport, stressed that a successful open skies agreement could benefit consumers and airlines alike.
"I know that there are some difficult issues on the table for the negotiators to solve this week. But I stress once more that the status quo is not an option and that failure is not an option. I urge both delegations to approach the discussions this week with creativity, with imagination and with determination."
Mr Hunt has advised the government that the London marketplace needs to be opened up if any progress is to be made.
"As a new entrant, we are not able to compete fairly with the larger entrenched incumbents, who use their grandfather rights and fortress protections at Heathrow and Gatwick to block out competition and distort the market," he said.
A British airline founded in 2004, Silverjet flies daily from Luton to Newark Liberty International.
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