Rada ratifies Ukraine and the EU agreement on a common aviation area

The Verkhovna Rada ratified the Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union on the Common Aviation Area.

311 deputies voted for the ratification of the agreement on Thursday.

The purpose of the agreement is the gradual creation of common airspace between Ukraine and the EU and its Member States, based, in particular, on identical rules in the fields of flight safety, aviation security, air traffic management, environmental protection, consumer protection, computer reservation systems, as well as on identical rules for social aspects.

Ukraine and the EU signed the long-awaited Common Aviation Area Agreement, known as the Open Skies Agreement, on October 12, 2021.

The agreement aims to equalize Ukrainian and European airlines in some respects, lift the monopoly on certain routes established by bilateral agreements, facilitate the opening of new routes between Ukrainian and European cities, and, as a result, reduce ticket prices.

The agreement was initialed in 2013 but has not yet been signed due to the British-Spanish dispute over Gibraltar's ownership.