Amman -
Jordan and the
European Union on Sunday signed an "open-skies" agreement which will allow European and Jordanian
airlines to operate freely across Jordan and the 27 EU countries, the official Petra news agency reported.
Transport Minister Alaa Bataineh said the agreement was part of the government's policy of gradually liberalizing air traffic so that it can be declared an open-sky zone in 2011.
The deal was an important step towards creating a comprehensive air zone in the Mediterranean, he continued.
It would also improve environmental and consumer protection standards, he noted.
EU ambassador in Amman Patrick Renauld predicted that the accord would enable Jordan to "build up a sophisticated regional
transport system" and open the Jordanian market to foreign investors, particularly Europeans, in the spheres of transport,
energy and water.
