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“This agreement is about not only strengthening connectivity between our countries, but also bringing our people closer together, boosting economic growth and creating opportunities for our businesses and communities.”
Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Peter Shanel Agovaka and New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters signed the revised Air Services Agreement (ASA) in Honiara.
Amending the 34-year-old Air Services Agreement between Solomon Islands and New Zealand will help modernize the agreement to meet new realities in the aviation industry and enhance people-to-people exchanges and trade between citizens of both countries.
Minister Agovaka said the revision of the Air Services Agreement would not only make travel easier, but would also enhance tourism, trade and economic exchanges, and facilitate the travel of Recognized Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers from Solomon Islands to New Zealand.
“This agreement is not just about increasing connectivity between our countries; it is about bringing our peoples closer together, boosting economic growth, and creating opportunities for our businesses and communities.
He said as neighbours on the blue Pacific continent, Solomon Islands and New Zealand always supported each other in times of need and continued to develop on the basis of mutual respect and cooperation.
He added: “The Civil Air Transport Agreement embodies our shared vision for a better future, with us more connected than ever before.”
He then paid tribute to technical officials and relevant stakeholders from both governments who worked tirelessly to make the revised agreement a reality.
The Minister also expressed his gratitude to the Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand, the Honourable Winston Peters, for signing the revised bilateral Air Services Agreement with him.
On 20 July 2023, Solomon Islands Government officials and relevant stakeholders in the aviation services sector, as well as officials from the New Zealand Ministry of Transport and the New Zealand High Commission in Honiara, negotiated the revised ASA in Honiara.
The negotiations culminated in a memorandum of understanding and the initialling of an air services agreement between Solomon Islands and New Zealand.
The 1990 edition of ASA was considered too narrow in content and scope of application and did not conform to the new realities of modern aviation.
Subsequently, the agreement required the Air Services Act 1990 to be amended to bring it more in line with the changes in today’s aviation industry. The signing of the new Air Services Act will boost the development of the aviation services industry and is expected to attract aviation industry investment into the Solomon Islands.
The decision to amend the 1990 ASA is timely in view of the establishment of the second international airport in the Solomon Islands and recent developments in the area of labour mobility.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade press release
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