The Philippines is eyeing air talks next month with Vietnam—the first under the Duterte administration as well as for 2016—to explore and expand air connectivity between the two nations, a government official said on Monday.
In an interview, Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) executive director Carmelo Arcilla said Vietnam had recently confirmed talks with the Philippines, but the latter would need time to prepare as the government transition was still ongoing.
Arcilla said new members of the Philippine Air Panel set a meeting for this week. Part of the agenda would be to schedule the air talks with Vietnam this September, he added.
He said the Philippines would want to discuss additional commercial opportunities.
These could include items not covered by Protocols 5 and 6 of the Asean Multilateral Agreement in Air Services, or MAAS, which the Aquino administration signed last February. Under the agreement, Philippine air carriers will be allowed to fly “unlimited frequencies to and beyond the capital cities” of the Asean. This was expected to lead to better and more efficient connectivity and translate to more competitive fares and services.
“Vietnam is a growing economy and it has a big Filipino population,” Arcilla said.