Colombia and China’s civil aviation authorities successfully signed their first commercial aviation cooperation agreement in Beijing Friday.
Airlines from both countries are now permitted to operate 14 weekly flights between the two countries. These flights can be direct, with a layover, or have a code-share agreement, where a flight can be purchased on one airline, but operated by another using a different number.
The director general of Colombia’s Aeronautica Civil, Santiago Castro, said China is becoming an important player in the global aeronautical industry and that soon Colombia will have Chinese planes flying in its skies.
Castro went on to say the deal strengthens business links between the two countries and opens the door to continue working on the technical and commercial aspects of the industry in an ever-more globalized world, according to Caracol Radio.
“We are working to make sure that there is a clear regulatory framework so that we know exactly what the technical and quality standards of the manufacturers and their workshops are, and to be able to have the possibility that these planes could operate in Colombia with all the guarantees of security for their passengers and the Colombian aviation system,” Castro said.
The Colombian delegation in China was headed by Castro and the chief of air transport of Aeronautica Civil, Adriana Sanclemente.
