Singapore and Saudi airlines can now mount more flights between both countries

Airlines from Singapore and Saudi Arabia will be allowed to mount more flights between the two countries under an upgraded air services agreement that took effect on Feb 19. Carriers from the two countries will also be able to operate more fifth-freedom flights without any restrictions on routing, capacity or aircraft type, said the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) in a statement on Feb 21. Fifth-freedom traffic rights allow an airline to fly from its home country to another country and offload passengers and freight, before picking up passengers and cargo and proceeding to a third country. This means a Saudi Arabia-based airline, for instance, can fly to a destination in South-east Asia with a stop in Singapore using these rights. In response to queries, CAAS said the upgraded agreement allows airlines from both countries to exercise fifth-freedom traffic rights to fly between Singapore and Saudi Arabia via points anywhere in the world, or beyond either country to anywhere in the world. Previously, the fifth-freedom traffic rights under the agreement could be exercised only via specific points, or beyond to specific points.<br/>