OTTAWA, Ontario – The Honourable Peter Kent, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas), today announced the designation of Air Transat to operate scheduled international air services between Canada and Jamaica.
“I am extremely pleased that we have been able to enhance our air service arrangements with Jamaica,” said Minister Kent. “This designation will play an important role in strengthening the people-to-people links between our two countries and contributing to prosperity in both countries.”
“Today’s designation highlights Canada’s continued action to provide more options for Canadians when choosing an air carrier to Jamaica,” said Canada’s Transport Minister John Baird. “Jamaica is Canada’s 13th-largest bilateral air travel market, and this new designation will facilitate new air services from cities across Canada, including Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Quebec and Halifax.”
Under Canada’s international air transportation policy, all Canadian air carriers may apply to the Minister for designation to operate scheduled international air services. This designation was made possible by the 1985 Air Services Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of Jamaica, as amended in 1987.
The Government of Canada is proud of its record in providing more choices to Canadians for their international air travel. Since January 2006, the Government of Canada has negotiated open, new or expanded air service agreements with nearly 50 countries:
– open skies-type agreements with eight countries: the United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland, New Zealand, Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and South Korea;
– expanded agreements with eight countries: Portugal, Mexico, Japan, Jordan, Singapore, the Philippines, Morocco and Cuba;
– new “first-time” agreements with eight countries: Algeria, Kuwait, Serbia, Croatia, Panama, Turkey, South Africa and Ethiopia; and
– a comprehensive air transport agreement between Canada and the European Union’s 27 member states. This includes Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia, with which Canada did not previously have air agreements.
