Open sky policy boosts competitiveness of national economy, says UAE Economy Minister

Dubai, March 1, 2012 (WAM) - UAE Economy Minister, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Sultan Al Mansouri has stressed the importance of open sky policy, being adopted by the UAE, and has contributed to boosting the economic status of the UAE as a strategic business hub. The UAE minister made the remark, while signing the air transport agreement with Comoro Islands' Foreign Minister Mohammed Bakri Abdul Fatah Sherif in the presence of Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of the GCAA. Commenting on the deal, Al Mansouri stressed the significance of historic ties between the two sister states and ways to bolster them through the investment. He added that the air transport deals signed so far by the UAE with different countries had reached 146, of which 104 of them are the open sky agreements. For his part, the Comoro Islands' FM commended the prosperity being experienced by the UAE, citing the country's economic policy that made it an advanced state, especially in the area of civil defence in which the UAE possess one of the major fleets in the world. - Emirates News Agency, WAM