EU states give green light for US talks over leasing of crewed planes

EU member states Thursday gave the green light for the start of talks with the US to scrap restrictions on EU airlines leasing planes and crew from US carriers. A dispute arose after the EU separately in 2008 imposed a 7-month duration limit, renewable once, on European airlines wet leasing from non-EU carriers, prompting retaliatory action from Washington. The EC will now be able to initiate talks with the US to remove any time limit on airlines' wet leasing deals. The prospect of an unrestricted wet leasing deal with the US had worried some countries and pilot associations that airlines could use wet leasing as a way to operate regular services with cheaper crews, or that it could set a precedent for similar deals with other countries. <br/>