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afrol News, 21 June - The United States and Cape Verde have reached an open skies agreement, the Spokesman of the US State Department today reports. This significantly eases air transport between the US and Cape Verde, and direct flights between the two countries are now resumed. According to the US State Department, the US and Cape Verde "today initialled an Open Skies air transport agreement removing all restrictions on air services to, from and beyond each other's territory." The US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, John Byerly, and Jorge Lima Delgado Lopes, Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation of Cape Verde, had initialled the agreement in Washington. The agreement, reached after consultations in Praia and Washington, is the US' 58th Open Skies agreement, and the twelfth with an African nation. Other Open Skies partners in Africa are Tanzania, Namibia, Burkina Faso, Ghana, The Gambia, Nigeria, Morocco, Rwanda, Benin, Senegal and Uganda. Open Skies agreements permit unrestricted air service by the airlines of both countries between and beyond the other's territory, eliminating restrictions on how often the carriers can fly, the kind of aircraft they use and the prices they charge. The agreement covers both passenger and cargo services, as well as scheduled and charter operations. In addition, the US-Cape Verde agreement permits carriers of each country to operate scheduled and charter cargo services between the other country and third countries, without a connection to the carrier's homeland. "Operations consistent with the new agreement may be implemented immediately," the US government announced. Cape Verde is currently investing significant capital in its airport infrastructure and aviation in general. The archipelago hopes to attract a greater part of stop-overs in trans-Atlantic air traffic, increase tourism and expand its own aviation company; the Transportes Aéreos de Cabo Verde (TACV).
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