Brazil and Ireland hold new round of negotiations on air services

Representatives from the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor) and the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) received a delegation from Ireland for another round of negotiations on air services. The Brazilian government’s proposal is to make the current bilateral agreement more flexible to guarantee the so-called 5th freedom for airlines, with direct flights to Ireland. This is a right that allows companies to embark and disembark passengers or cargo at an intermediate point on a given route. In practice, aircraft departing from Brazil, bound for the Irish capital, Dublin, could go from there to other European countries, for example, before returning here.

During the meeting held at MPor, minister Silvio Costa Filho pointed out that the bilateral agreement is a great opportunity to expand aviation between countries and also to boost tourism in Latin America and Europe. “This is a milestone for both governments, which have been demonstrating mutual interest in opening new markets and strengthening the mode that transports the most people in the world on long-distance trips. As far as the Ministry of Ports and Airports and the federal government depend, the agreement will be signed soon, opening the way for air operations between the nations”, he stated.

“This is a milestone for both governments, which have been demonstrating mutual interest in opening new markets and strengthening the mode that transports the most people in the world” Silvio Costa Filho
The executive secretary of MPor, Tomé Franca, explained to the Irish Transport Minister, Darragh O’Brien, why Anac’s understanding must be followed. “It is necessary to guarantee commercial sustainability in this type of operation. The principle of the 5th freedom, therefore, is essential for this, he highlighted.

When thanking Brazil for all its efforts, the Irish minister stated that the Irish government is fully committed to this project, “which is significant for tourism and trade, as well as further strengthening the growing ties between our people”, he declared.

The substitute Secretary of Civil Aviation, Clarissa Barros, stated that the majority of air service agreements, signed by the Brazilian government with other nations, already provide for freer movement for airlines. However, in the case of the Irish government, they are more restrictive. According to Clarissa, at the meeting this Tuesday (10), the Irish government showed a willingness to include the 5th freedom in the multilateral agreement as long as it was approved route by route. “In other words, Ireland would give approval for each route to take place in 5th freedom, which is not Anac’s practice,” explained the secretary.

During the meeting, Anac was represented by the substitute international advisor, Diego José Pereira da Silva, and by the manager of the Air Services Monitoring Superintendence, Roque Felizardo da Silva. The Anac representative said that a counterproposal to Ireland’s text will be presented by the agency in the coming days.

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