Russia has signed new air service agreements with Ethiopia and Tanzania to develop aviation in Africa. The agreement was signed by Russia's Deputy Minister of Transport Igor Chalik and Ethiopia's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs during the second Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg.
The two nations had an air communication agreement dated March 26, 1977, which will be terminated under the new deal.
The newly signed agreement aims to establish efficient and regular air transport services between Russia and Ethiopia, to boost trade and economic development. Additionally, it includes enacting legislation regarding national carriers, recognition of airworthiness certificates, and cooperation in ensuring flight safety standards in line with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards.
Ethiopian Airlines already has a regular service to and from Russia with four weekly nonstop flights from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD) to Moscow Domodedovo (DME) with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Conversely, no Russian carriers are operating flights on this route.
Russian authorities have also negotiated a new Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) to strengthen the air connectivity between the two nations.
According to the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA), the new agreements will give the designated airlines of Tanzania access to three entry points in Russia, namely Moscow, St Petersburg, and Yekaterinburg. This is a noteworthy improvement from the previous BASA, which only allowed access to Moscow.
Similarly, the Russian carriers will be given access to three entry points in Tanzania, i.e., Dar es Salaam (DAR), Zanzibar (ZNZ), and Kilimanjaro (JRO). The negotiations also included provisions for codesharing, as both parties highlighted its importance for maximizing airline yields.
Beyond codesharing, the negotiations also involved discussions on the employment of fifth freedom traffic rights by Russia and Tanzania's designated airlines. Under the newly agreed terms, their carriers can fly to both countries and on to a third country upon mutual agreement by the respective civil aviation authorities
Despite the current air services agreement, no airlines are operating commercial flights between these destinations. “As a result of the successful negotiations, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by the Heads of Delegation from both parties. The final signing of the BASA will occur once the necessary institutional procedures of both Governments have been completed,” TCAA said in a statement.