The US government and airlines on Thursday hailed a landmark EU decision to adopt an "open skies" accord that injects more competition into transatlantic aviation.
US Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said the approval by EU transport ministers would boost "economic, political, and personal relationships between our two continents for years to come."
"Tearing down regulatory barriers allows us to foster more affordable and convenient air travel and gives our airline industry more opportunities to compete, innovate and thrive," she said in a statement.
The European Commission, which negotiated the deal on the EU's behalf, says consumers will see up to 12 billion euros (US$16 billion) in economic benefits as increased competition brings down ticket prices.
The EU estimates the agreement could generate more than 26 million extra passengers over the next five years and create 80,000 new jobs in the EU and US combined.
Under the draft agreement, any EU carrier would be able to fly from anywhere in the bloc to any point in the US and vice versa. But EU airlines will still not be able to operate domestic US routes.
As a result, Peters said, "this agreement will spur growth within our aviation network and enhance the freedom of American fliers to choose where and when they travel."
Unanimous EU agreement on the deal was possible only after ministers overcame British reservations about competition out of London's Heathrow airport, by delaying the date of application to the end of next March.
US airlines hope the pact will boost their recoveries from years of turmoil. Delta and Northwest are still bankrupt. United, which has come out of bankruptcy, has welcomed the new competition despite the prospective entry of new rivals at Heathrow.
The agreement would also lift restrictions on EU carriers buying big stakes in US airlines, although their voting rights in a US carrier would remain capped at 25 percent, much to the chagrin of Britain.
The government is aiming to recruit 1,096 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants this year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The foreign teachers would work closely with elementary and junior-high instructors to create and teach courses, ministry official Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said. Together, they would create an immersive language environment, helping to motivate students while enhancing the skills of local teachers, she said. The ministry has since 2021 been recruiting foreign teachers through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, which offers placement, salary, housing and other benefits to eligible foreign teachers. Two centers serving northern and southern Taiwan assist in recruiting and training
WIDE NET: Health officials said they are considering all possibilities, such as bongkrekic acid, while the city mayor said they have not ruled out the possibility of a malicious act of poisoning Two people who dined at a restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13 last week have died, while four are in intensive care, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday. All of the outlets of Malaysian vegetarian restaurant franchise Polam Kopitiam have been ordered to close pending an investigation after 11 people became ill due to suspected food poisoning, city officials told a news conference in Taipei. The first fatality, a 39-year-old man who ate at the restaurant on Friday last week, died of kidney failure two days later at the city’s Mackay Memorial Hospital. A 66-year-old man who dined
EYE ON STRAIT: The US spending bill ‘doubles security cooperation funding for Taiwan,’ while also seeking to counter the influence of China US President Joe Biden on Saturday signed into law a US$1.2 trillion spending package that includes US$300 million in foreign military financing to Taiwan, as well as funding for Taipei-Washington cooperative projects. The US Congress early on Saturday overwhelmingly passed the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act 2024 to avoid a partial shutdown and fund the government through September for a fiscal year that began six months ago. Under the package, the Defense Appropriations Act would provide a US$27 billion increase from the previous fiscal year to fund “critical national defense efforts, including countering the PRC [People’s Republic of China],” according to a summary
‘CARRIER KILLERS’: The Tuo Chiang-class corvettes’ stealth capability means they have a radar cross-section as small as the size of a fishing boat, an analyst said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday presided over a ceremony at Yilan County’s Suao Harbor (蘇澳港), where the navy took delivery of two indigenous Tuo Chiang-class corvettes. The corvettes, An Chiang (安江) and Wan Chiang (萬江), along with the introduction of the coast guard’s third and fourth 4,000-tonne cutters earlier this month, are a testament to Taiwan’s shipbuilding capability and signify the nation’s resolve to defend democracy and freedom, Tsai said. The vessels are also the last two of six Tuo Chiang-class corvettes ordered from Lungteh Shipbuilding Co (龍德造船) by the navy, Tsai said. The first Tuo Chiang-class vessel delivered was Ta Chiang (塔江)