Luxembourg-based cargo carrier, Cargolux (CV), is set to benefit from the recent signing of a new revised Bilateral Air Services Agreement between Gabon and Luxembourg, on 26 November 2012. |
| Leon M'ba International Airport, Libreville, Gabon (MF) |
Following extensive negotiations with the Gabonese in Libreville in October, Luxembourg's Minister of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure, Claude Wiseler, together with Gabon's Emmanuel Jean Didier Biye, Minister of Civil Aviation, signed a new BASA that replaces the old 1972 agreement, thereby facilitating the development of aviation ties between the two countries.
"During negotiations held in Libreville on 2 and 3 October 2012, the Luxembourg delegation with Gabon agreed to replace the old 1972 agreement as several provisions no longer corresponded to the current realities of the market. The fact that the signing and subsequent ratification of this agreement came so soon after the negotiations, highlights the importance both sides attach to it and hope it can give a boost to both economic and trade ties between Luxembourg and Gabon."Source [Luxembourg Government]
The new agreement now allows Cargolux, which has served Gabon since the end of 2007 with two weekly flights, to operate on a more legal footing in addition to removing the administrative obstacle of having to apply for permits for each flight.
Above all, to meet ever increasing freight volumes, the two sides also agreed to grant their respective airlines three weekly frequencies, though future talks will need to be held regarding the possibility of 5th freedom rights which would allow Cargolux to expand its network in Africa by linking Libreville directly to Brazzaville, Kinshasa, Lagos and Johannesburg.
The two countries also agreed to cooperate in the field of safety training and air safety with courses to be held in Luxembourg and provided by the l’Agence luxembourgeoise de la sécurité aérienne (Luxembourg Agency for Aviation Safety ALSA).