Arab states to liberalize air transport

The Arab Civil Aviation Organization will start as of next November implementing the first phase of an air-transportation liberalization program in the Arab world.

The decision to start the program was made during the meeting of the Organization's executive council last week in the Moroccan capital city of Rabat.

The council also urged Arab countries to adopt a unified position regarding the policy of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in matters of civil aviation. WTO plans to expand air transportation services covered by the GATT accords.

The council likewise decided to hold a conference on air crashes and to conduct a study on the creation of an Arab crash investigating office and another on the organization of inter-Arab air traffic via satellite.