U.S. Ambassador to Angola Tulinabo S. Mushingi and the Republic of Angola Secretary of State for International Cooperation and Angolan Communities Ambassador Domingos Custodio Vieira Lopes signed an Open Skies Air Transport Agreement in Luanda to advance our countries' bilateral aviation cooperation. The Agreement brings the civil aviation transportation relationship between the United States and Angola to the highest modern standard.
The Agreement with the Republic of Angola expands our strong economic and commercial partnership, promotes people-to-people ties, and creates new opportunities for travelers, shippers, and airlines, promoting tourism and commerce. By concluding this pro-consumer, pro-growth, pro-competition agreement, Angola joins a community of partners committed to maintaining an open and modern air services agreement as well as high standards of aviation safety and security.
The Agreement includes unrestricted capacity and frequency of services for both passenger and all-cargo carriers, open route rights, an open charter regime, self-handling provisions, and open code-sharing opportunities. The Agreement, which has been applied since it was initialed in April 2023, will enter into force following an exchange of diplomatic notes confirming that the necessary internal procedures have been completed.
The new Agreement builds on a framework of U.S. Open Skies agreements with more than 135 other partners that enable U.S. air carriers to operate and expand flight networks beyond U.S. borders and connect the U.S. economy to growing markets.