THE AIR SERVICES AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA AND THE REPUBLIC OF YEMEN

25 February 2000

The Minister of Transport, Dullah Omar will be hosting his counterpart from the Republic of Yemen, His Excellency Abdelmalek Al Sayani over the weekend. The prime objective of Minister Al Sayani's visit is to sign a Bilateral Air Services Agreement with South Africa. This Agreement is to establish a bilateral framework for the operation of scheduled international air services between and beyond Yemen and South Africa. This Agreement was negotiated on the 12th and the 13th of August 1998 in Pretoria.

Among the issues that were agreed upon in this Agreement were;

• The designated airlines of both countries are entitled to operate up to two passenger frequencies per week with any aircraft type. The Government of the Republic of Yemen has designated Yemenia Yemen Airways, while the Government of the Republic of th Africa will designate an airline at a later stage.
• The designated airlines of both countries may use points in their respective countries as points of departure, any intermediate points, one entry point in each country and any points beyond each country as points beyond.
• The creation of a framework for all-cargo services and the issue of additional entry points in the territories of the respective countries will be discussed in further consultations.
• A framework was created which enables the designated airlines of either country to enter into cooperative marketing agreements like code-sharing with the designated airlines of the other country. This framework also makes provision for the designatedrlines to enter into these agreements with airlines of a third country and for the operations to, from and via such third country.
• Fifth freedom traffic rights (conveyance of passengers to/from 3rd countries) will normally be allowed where no direct services are being operated by either the South African or Yemenian carrier to such 3rd state.

This Agreement is the 43th to be signed out of a total of one hundred and one bilateral air services agreements negotiated to date with different countries. The other agreements are in various stages of finalisation. During 1999, only one agreement was signed, twelve agreements were revised and no new agreements were negotiated. The signing of this Agreement forms part of the ongoing process of expanding and modernising the framework of bilateral air services agreements to ensure the efficient management of existing scheduled air services and the facilitation of new air services to South Africa. This is done in the interest of promoting the South African aviation, trade and tourism industries respectively.

The signing will take place on Sunday, 27 February 2000 at 11:00 at the Ministry of Transport, 4th Floor, 159 Forum Building (cnr. Bosman and Struben Strs.) in Pretoria. A media briefing will be held immediately after the signing at around 12:15.

For more information on the Agreement,contact, Kgomotso Modise (012) 309 3554

Issued by Mike Mabasa
Media Liaison Officer
to Minister of Transport, Dullah Omar
Pretoria
25 February 2000
083 680 7048