US, St Kitts sign open skies pact

"This agreement strengthens and expands our already strong trade and tourism links with St Christopher and Nevis, and will benefit businesses and travellers in the US and St Christopher and Nevis alike," the State Department said in a statement.

"It will expand air service and encourage vigorous price competition by airlines, while safeguarding aviation safety and security," it added.

Open skies is an international policy concept that calls for the liberalisation of rules and regulations on international aviation industry - most specially commercial aviation - opening a free market for the airline industry.

Its primary objectives are to liberalise the rules for international aviation markets and minimise government intervention.

The provisions apply to passenger, all-cargo and combination air transportation, and encompass both scheduled and charter services.

They also aimed at adjusting the regime under which military and other state-based flights may be permitted.

Industry analysts say that for open skies to take effect, a bilateral, and sometimes multilateral, air transport agreement has to be concluded between two or more nations.

A bilateral air transport agreement is a contract to liberalise aviation services, usually commercial civil aviation, between two contracting states.

The US says it has concluded bilateral open skies agreements with 106 partners that spread across every region of the world, including the Caribbean.