Rwanda and Tunisia on Monday signed two milestone agreements on civil aviation, marking an important step to upgrade the rules and standards for flights between the two countries.
The pact was inked on the sidelines of African Union (AU) summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia by the Tunisian Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sabri Bachtobji and his Rwandan counterpart, Dr Vincent Biruta, the official statement said.
It said that the new agreement will set a new benchmark by including provisions not normally covered by bilateral air transport agreements, such as social or environmental matters.
Beyond traffic rights, the Tunisia-Rwanda agreement provides a single set of rules, high standards and a platform for future cooperation on a wide range of aviation issues, such as safety, security or air traffic management.
Under the agreement, all commercial flight operators from Rwanda and Tunisia will be allowed to operate inbound and outbound flight services between the two countries.
The agreement will enable Rwanda’s National carrier Rwandair and Tunisia flag carrier TUNISAIR to fly to and from Kigali and Tunis respectively with a minimum of one stopover but less fatigue for passengers doing business between the two regions.
Apart from Tunisia, other countries that have signed the agreement include Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Togo, Sierra Leone, and South Africa Swaziland
CU/as/APA