Air Services Agreements

Air Services Agreements (ASAs) are international treaties through which two or more States regulate air transport of passengers and cargo between their territories. In Brazil, such an agreement is negotiated by the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Infrastructure.

ASAs regulate issues such as number of frequencies, designation of airlines, route schedules, traffic rights ("freedoms of the air"), tariffs, and code sharing. They also specify obligations relating to flight safety and aviation security. In addition to ASAs, there are Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) concluded between aeronautical authorities that regulate operational aspects of bilateral air trade relations.

The current liberalization policy of the aviation sector in Brazil has been reflected, externally, in the permanent and comprehensive effort to sign new air services agreements and review those already signed, seeking greater air connectivity internationally and the expansion of the flow of passengers and cargo between the country and the rest of the world.

Brazil presently maintains air agreements with almost all members of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), whose terms are being updated to the so-called “open skies” agreements.

At the regional level, Brazil is a signatory to the “Agreement on Sub-Regional Air Services” and the “Multilateral Open Skies Agreement for Member States of the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission (LACAC)”.

The "Agreement on Sub-regional Air Services", known as the Fortaleza Agreement, aims at enabling new sub-regional regular air services in routes different from those effectively operated under the terms of the already existing bilateral agreements.Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Peru are signatories to the Agreement.

The "Multilateral Open Skies Agreement for Member States of the LACAC", in force since April 2019, aims at allowing the expansion of flight offers and connectivity between the Latin American signatory countries. In addition to Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Dominican Republic, and Uruguay have signed the agreement so far.