At a signing ceremony on April 6, 2016, the government of Azerbaijan and the United States government finalized an Open Skies Agreement that promises to liberalize air travel between both nations and bring about expanded opportunities for economic growth.
By removing government control over business decisions such as route selection, pricing, and capacity, the Open Skies agreement is expected to increase travel and trade between both countries. The U.S. Open Skies program aims to simplify the process of organizing and approving air traffic between signatory countries, resulting in more affordable and frequent passenger and cargo traffic.
The Wicks Group (TWG) has advised the Government of Azerbaijan throughout the negotiation process that culminated in the final version of the agreement. TWG worked with both the United States Government and the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan to assist in working out the final details of the agreement, including the final terms of accession to the agreement. The Wicks Group is confident that the adoption of Open Skies between Azerbaijan and the United States will result in substantial benefits to the Azeri aviation sector as well as the economies of both countries.
Glenn Wicks, founder and Managing Director of The Wicks Group, and Ekaterina Grimes, Partner of The Wicks Group, attended the signing ceremony which took place today in Baku, Azerbaijan. The signing ceremony was led by the President of Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) Jahangir Asgarov and United States Ambassador to Azerbaijan Robert Cekuta, who each delivered brief remarks on the importance of the achievement before signing the bilateral agreement.
Wicks Group Partner Ekaterina Grimes expressed the view that “it was a moment of great pride for us having been a real part of the development of civil aviation in Azerbaijan for the past decade. Silk Way, Azal, and the State Civil Aviation Administration (SCAA) are not only our clients but our long standing colleagues and partners. We take great pride in our being a positive part of Azerbaijan’s growth and development.” Glenn Wicks stated, “I agree with Katya and can only add that we take great pride in assisting the US Government in developing a positive bilateral aviation relationship with Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is a very strong strategic partner of the United States and we are glad that we can assist in that relationship growing stronger.”
The signing of the new Open Skies agreement represents only the most recent of several Wicks Groups projects that have expanded opportunities in the Azeri aviation sector. Throughout the past year, The Wicks Group has continued to represent both Azerbaijan Airlines and Silk Way Airlines with regulatory and transaction assistance. Both carriers stand to substantially benefit by the achievement of an Open Skies agreement with the United States. In 2014, The Wicks Group also assisted Azerbaijan in achieving FAA IASA Category 1 status. By demonstrating compliance with ICAO international aviation safety standards, Azerbaijan ensured that its air carriers had the ability to operate into the United States and codeshare with U.S. carriers.