Tuesday, August 2, 2005

Dotars to conduct Air Services Negotiations with Argentina

Dear {Firstname},

Please refer to the following notice from DoTaRS regarding bi-lateral air services negotiations with Argentina regarding increased Cargo and Passenger services.  At the foot of the advice are contact details should you wish to comment and have any input to the desired outcomes. Please note cut-off for comments is August 9th.

Thanks and regards , 
 
Brian Lovell

Chief Executive Officer
Australian Federation of International Forwarders Ltd (AFIF)

Suite 403, Level 3
152 Bunnerong Road
Eastgardens
NSW 2036
Tel:  (61 2)  9314 3055
Fax: (61 2)  9314 3116

Dear Stakeholder
Air services talks with Argentina are planned for late August 2005 in Buenos Aires. You may recall that in an email dated 23 August 2004,   we advised our intention to negotiate with the relevant authorities in Argentina by correspondence to seek changes to route arrangements to permit Australian carriers to offer code shared services via Santiago to permitted points in Argentina.  In the event,  the Argentine authorities indicated that formal air services consultations would be necessary.
 
DOTARS intends to use the opportunity provided by the forthcoming formal talks not only to seek to put in place flexible code sharing arrangements but also to re-visit current treaty arrangements with the aim of negotiating an updated air services agreement text that will provide greater flexibility for operations by airlines of both countries. We will also seek to negotiate reciprocal regional access arrangements. The Argentine authorities have been sent a copy of Australia's model ASA text.
 
Current aviation arrangements
 
Passenger and Cargo capacity: (capacity entitlements apply for the operation of services in each direction on the specified route for the designated airline or airlines of each Contracting Party with any type of aircraft in any configuration)
  • Passenger:  2800 seats in total each week.
  • Freight: up to seven weekly cargo services in total with any aircraft type .   
Traffic Rights 
 
The designated airlines may exercise unrestricted fifth freedom traffic rights at all points including intermediate and beyond points, except that:
  • For the designated airline(s) of Argentina: between points in Australia and a point in Asia, traffic rights may be exercised only through code share, blocked space or other cooperative arrangements where the Argentine designated airline(s) is the marketing carrier on services operated by either a bilateral carrier or a carrier designated by a third country.
  • For the designated airline(s) of Australia: between points in Argentina and one point beyond, traffic rights may be exercised only through code share, blocked space or other cooperative arrangements where the Australian designated airline(s) is the marketing carrier on services operated by either a bilateral carrier or a carrier designated by a third country.
 
Route schedule for Argentine airline(s): Argentina via Auckland to three points in Australia and beyond to one point in Asia.
 
Route schedule for Australian airline(s): Australia via points in the Pacific to three points in Argentina and beyond to four points.
 
Code sharing arrangements:  Code sharing provisions exist, however the provisions include third country code sharing restrictions.
 
Current services :  Aerolineas Argentinas operates 4 A340-220 services a week (offering 988 seats). Buenos Aires-Auckland-Sydney return.  
 
Aviation Market
Total Australia – Argentina origin/destination passenger air traffic for the year ended May 2005 was 22,936 which is an increase of 4.4% over the year ended May 2004.  Over the last thirteen years, this market has recorded strong year on year growth in 1994, and 1996 to 1999.  However, year on year traffic declined strongly in 2001 and 2002 and is yet to recover to levels recorded in 2000.

In the year ended May 2005, Argentina was ranked fifty-fifth in terms of Short Term Resident Departures (STRD) from Australia, accounting for 0.2% of the STRD category. It was ranked forty-ninth in terms of Short Term Visitor Arrivals (STVA) to Australia, accounting for 0.1% of the STVA category. It was ranked fifty-seventh in terms of total origin/destination traffic, accounting for 0.1% of the total.

Comments 
Any comments you may wish  to make in relation to desired outcomes from the proposed Australia - Argentina negotiations will be taken into account in the development of the Australian negotiating position for such consultations.  Comments should be forwarded to the Department either by email to catherine.harris@dotars.gov.au (telephone: 02 6274 7261), facsimile to 02 6274 6749 , or by mail to GPO Box 594, Canberra City ACT 2601, by Tuesday 9 August 2005. 

 
Kind regards
Catherine Harris
 
 
Catherine Harris
 
Bilateral Aviation Policy and Regulation
Aviation and Airports Business Division
Department of Transport and Regional Services
GPO Box 594
Canberra 2601 Australia
 
Phone: (02) 6274 7261

Please note that any input provided will be made available for the information of all members of the Australian delegation to bilateral negotiations unless specific instructions to the contrary are received with the input.
 
If you no longer wish  to receive emails from the Department of Transport and Regional Services  notifying you of upcoming air services negotiations and outcomes from negotiations please email wayne.kelly@dotars.gov.au requesting your removal from our emailing  list.

The Aviation & Airports Business Division foster a competitive, sustainable and safe aviation sector through appropriate regulation, programme delivery and policy development.

For more information about the department visit www.dotars.gov.au; for information about Aviation & Airports, follow the transport links from this page.