Samoa and United Arab Emirates ink air and code share deal
Minister of Works Transport and Infrastructure (M.W.T.I.), Olo Fiti Afoa Vaai and Director-General of the General Civil Aviation Authority, Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi.
Photo: Government of Samoa
Samoa and the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) have signed a deal that opens the way for air service transport and code sharing between the two nations.
The deal, an air service agreement, is expected to bring about improved access and connectivity between the two countries, according to an official statement from the Government of Samoa.
Minister of Works Transport and Infrastructure (M.W.T.I.), Olo Fiti Afoa Vaai signed the agreement on behalf of the Independent State of Samoa in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on 1 October, 2022.
Director-General of the General Civil Aviation Authority, Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi signed on behalf of the U.A.E.
“On October 1, 2022, the Independent State of Samoa and the State of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) signed an Air Service Agreement (A.S.A.) which would allow international air transport services between these nations,” the Samoan government states in a 6 October press release.
“This bilateral agreement is important as it will also improve the Accessibility and Connectivity to air transport as States can designate their national carriers to operate flights between their respective countries.”
Transport Minister Olo said the deal allows Samoa Airways, which no longer has an aircraft, to enter into a code share agreement with any of the six U.A.E. designated national carriers.
“The Honorable Minister noted that in the absence of a large aircraft from our designated national carrier, this signed agreement allows Polynesian Airlines Limited, trading as ‘Samoa Airways’ to enter into a Code Share Agreement with any of the six designated U.A.E. designated national carriers,” the statement explains.
A code share flight is an agreement between airlines to sell seats on each other’s flights, the Forbes website explains.
It gives the appearance of airlines flying to more destinations. Code sharing allows the airlines to share the revenue on that ticket according to the agreement.
The Samoa-U.A.E. agreement also opens up opportunities for Code Sharing to be extended to linkages that the U.A.E., has already established with other existing airlines at the international level.
The Works, Transport and Infrastructure Minister travelled to Canada for the 41st Session of the International Civil Aviation Organization (I.C.A.O.) Assembly.
He was accompanied by a delegation of five consisting of the M.W.T.I. Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O.), Fui Tupai Mau Simanu, Samoa Airport Authority (S.A.A.) General Manager, Silimanai Ueta Solomona, M.W.T.I. Civil Aviation Division Assistant C.E.O., Lauano Yvonne Tuioti-Mariner, M.W.T.I. Legal Assistant C.E.O., Kalameli Seuseu, and S.A.A. Assistant General Manager Aeronautical Services, Toilolo Tyronemoore Lam.
The U.A.E. has two official flag carrying airlines are Emirates, the country’s largest airline and the middle east, and Etihad, the U.A.E.’s second largest airline, according to Wikipedia.
Air Arabia, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, Flydubai and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi along with the two flag carriers are the six “scheduled airlines” that hold Air Operator Certificates issued by the General Civil Aviation Authority, Wikipedia says.