By TesfaNews,
Turkey and Eritrea today signed the first-time bilateral Civil Aviation Agreement in Asmara.
Earlier today, Turkish envoy to Eritrea, Ambassador Firat Sunel, disclosed that he had a historic meeting with a team of Eritrean Civil Aviation Authorities (ECAA) to negotiate on the terms of the aviation agreement.
The deal will finally pave the way for the world’s most notable airline, Turkish Airline, to kick start its scheduled flights to and from Asmara.
After the signing of the agreement, Ambassador Sunel announced that “now it is time for Turkish Airways … [to fly]”
Turkey has signed similar Aviation Agreements with 157 countries out of which 47 are from Africa.
ECAA had similar negotiations with Qatar Airways who sent a delegation last week to Asmara to discuss on the terms of the agreement.
In October last year, Lufthansa terminates its regular flights to Asmara citing a need for new air traffic agreement between Eritrea and Germany. Authorities in Asmara, however, were not happy and suspect politics could have been the reason behind its abrupt termination.
However, with the soon to commence regular flights to and from Asmara by the world class Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways, the decade long unchallenged monopoly of Lufthansa over the skies of Eritrea will come to its complete halt.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
