Qatar Airways GCEO welcomes the Doha Declaration

The Declaration, which was announced at the conclusion of the CAPA Qatar Aviation, Aeropolitical and Regulatory Summit held last week in Doha, comes 75 years after the historic Chicago Convention, which established the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and is the primary source of law governing international aviation.

Commenting on the Declaration, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, H.E. Mr. Al Baker, said: “Qatar Airways wholeheartedly endorses the Doha Declaration and calls on airlines all over the world to join us in supporting it”.The full text of the Doha Declaration is as follows:

Doha Declaration

75 years after the aviation regulatory framework was established, it is time for a serious global review of its relevance today; the “business of freedom” underpins 10 per cent of global GDP. It is too important to be constrained by economic regulation that was designed to meet entirely different conditions.

Recommendation

Governments should:

Relax restrictive airline ownership and control rules, which underpin the bilateral air services system, constraining rationalisation of market access

Increase efforts to encourage plurilateral liberalisation, for example as promoted by the European Union;

Enhance sustainability – in its broadest meaning – in the aviation sector;

Actively encourage aeropolitical discussion and further engagement at the highest levels.

The Declaration follows the recent announcement that the State of Qatar and the European Union have concluded their negotiations for a landmark Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement.

Al Baker said: “Last week, Qatar Airways was proud to celebrate the milestone of becoming the first country in the Gulf region to achieve a Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement with the European Union. This agreement, allied to the Doha Declaration, shows the world that we are committed to building trust among nations, overcoming the fear of competition and embracing the benefits of liberalisation.”

Speaking at the conclusion of the CAPA Conference, the first event of its kind to be held in the Middle East, , Director General Mobility and Transport at the European Commission, Henrik Hololei, commented on the Doha Declaration, saying: “It is a good conclusion of the one-and-a-half days we have spent here.”