In the following years, ICAO developed a number of trafficking rights known as freedom of air. These freedoms still form the basis of the rights exchanged in the air services negotiations. The Australian government is conducting a bilateral air services negotiation program to strengthen our airlines` access to the world and allow foreign airlines to increase their access to Australia. Before an airline can provide international services in another country, the government must first negotiate a contractual agreement with the government of the destination country. These agreements are called bilateral air services agreements. Most air services are excluded from U.S. trade agreements. When air services are included, the scope is very limited. In these cases, the Office of International Aviation cooperates with the Office of the United States Trade Representative and the State Department to ensure that these provisions are consistent with U.S.
aviation policy. In the General Service Tariff Agreement (GATS), the Air Services Annex explicitly limits air service coverage to aircraft repair and maintenance operations, computerized reservation systems, and the sale and marketing of air transport. Under our bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements (FTAs), air service coverage is limited to aircraft repair and maintenance services and specialized air services. For more information, please contact us. Bilateral air services agreements (“BASAs”) are contracts signed between countries to enable international commercial air services between zones. The BASA promotes the international air link between countries, which provides and enables the transport of passengers, freight, trade and tourism. These agreements provide the framework in which the identified airlines of the two countries fly in the designated ports of the other country. It generally deals with issues relating to traffic rights, the use of intermediate links, the nature of aircraft, safety standards, competition, ownership policy, airline design and control, etc., so that both countries can benefit from the agreement, tariffs and tax issues.