After concluding, in Bogota, the 13th version of the International Conference for the Negotiation of Air Agreements ICAN 2021, organized by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Colombia held meetings with 21 States and signed a number of significant agreements with the aim of enhancing the country’s international connectivity.
The Colombian government signed air service agreements with Rwanda, Kuwait, and Guyana, reinforcing connectivity with Africa, the Middle East, and northern South America. Likewise, agreements were signed with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Benin, Bahrain, Belize, and Oman.
On the other hand, bilateral agreements were updated between Colombia and the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Chile, Curacao, Spain, and Nigeria.
Such results allow the country to advance in its international connectivity process, allowing the arrival of new air operators from the Middle East, Africa, and Central America, generating more travel options to and from the country.
President Iván Duque said «The COVID-19 pandemic severely hit the global airline industry and ICAN 2021 offers us a scenario of opportunities to continue the reactivation process of this sector. I must emphasize that Colombia, as the host country of this International Conference, has the best competitiveness in the last 25 years for air transport services, thanks to my Government’s decision to provide financial relief to the sector, such as the reduction of VAT on air transport services from 19% to 5%».
Among the agreements obtained by Colombia, one of the highlights was the strengthening of air trade activities with the United Arab Emirates, which opens up the possibility of new passenger services, connecting the two countries via Miami, with up to seven weekly frequencies during the first year and later increasing to two daily flights.
ICAN 2021, with the participation of 70 States and nearly 500 delegates, provided the opportunity for the participating countries to expand their air trade relations, bring operators closer to their markets, generate new opportunities for their own operators, promote tourism and trade, and strengthen the legal framework for air transport operations.
During the closing ceremony of the event, Vice President Marta Lucía Ramírez said that «for Colombia, it is of great satisfaction to have had the presence of 487 delegates from 70 ICAO member states, who throughout this week held multiple meetings for the common purpose of reactivating aviation worldwide, after the crisis generated by the Covid-19 pandemic».
