Doha: The aviation agreement reached between Qatar and the European Union last week will create thousands of jobs and billions of economic benefits. The agreement is expected to generate economic benefits worth €3bn in the coming years.
“According to an independent economic study undertaken on behalf of the European Commission, the agreement, with its robust fair competition provisions, could generate economic benefits of nearly €3bn over the period 2019-2025 and create around 2,000 new jobs by 2025,” the European Commission said in a statement posted on its website.
After the deal, Qatar will have direct access to 28 European Union countries, 500 million customers and a large cargo market, according to the European Cockpit Association.
Qatar and the European Union announced on Monday that they had initialled a Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels.
The aviation agreement is the first such agreement between the European Union and a country from the Gulf region.
Following last week’s initialling, both parties will prepare the signature of the agreement following their respective internal procedures. The agreement will enter into force once both internal procedures will be finalised, noted European Commission.
The agreement will benefit all stakeholders by improving connectivity through a fair and transparent competitive environment, and create strong foundations for a long-term aviation relationship.
Qatar is a close aviation partner for the European Union, with more than seven million passengers travelling between the European Union and Qatar per year under the existing 27 bilateral air transport agreements with European Union member states.
Experts say that this deal will further intensify the expansion plans of Qatar’s flag carrier in Europe.
“Europe is an important market for Qatar Airways. After the deal, we may see increase in the expansion plans of the airline for countries in Europe,” a senior official of a tour and travel firm told The Peninsula.
Qatar Airways, which open 25 new destinations in 2018, has plans to add more destinations to its network this year.
