Next Stop For U.S. Open Skies Talks: China

With the terms of the second-stage U.S.-EU Open Skies agreement ironed out, the U.S. State Department as early as June could start liberalized bilateral aviation discussions with China, the chief U.S. Open Skies negotiator said.

U.S. State Department deputy assistant secretary for transportation affairs John Byerly said his department's aim is to further liberalize aviation markets and bring in more Open Skies partners, as it already has done with just shy of 100 nations. "We're always looking for additional partners," Byerly told BTN. "There are still some very important markets where we don't have Open Skies."

In addition to China, which places a number of restrictions on U.S. carriers but remains a coveted market, the State Department also is exploring consultations with Jamaica, considering discussions with Russia and eyeing an expansion of its liberalized cargo agreement with Mongolia to include a passenger component, Byerly said. He said the U.S. remains interested in Open Skies with Brazil and "potentially some other countries like Columbia," and also has been in "active discussions" with Saudi Arabia and Israel.