Virgin Atlantic pushes for 'truly Open Skies'

The Open Skies agreement between the EU and America does not go far enough to liberalise international aviation rules, Virgin Atlantic has said.

According to the carrier, negotiators working on behalf of aviation groups in the two regions must do more to "unshackle" the industry from rules which restrict foreign operations.

The EU-US Open Skies agreement, which came into effect on March 30, included key regulatory changes such as increasing the number of transatlantic carriers permitted to operate out of Heathrow.

However, commenting ahead of a crucial discussion between the two sides, Virgin Atlantic has said that ownership laws continue to put a stranglehold on the industry.

Airline spokesman Paul Charles told The Telegraph: "The only open skies that make sense are truly open skies - the current system is full of regulation and red tape and we need to unshackle our industry."

Current aviation regulations stipulate that European carriers can acquire a maximum of 25 per cent of voting rights in a US airline, with American carriers being limited to 49 per cent.

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