THE long-awaited open skies agreement for UK and US carriers is on the verge of being agreed, according to US Airways chairman Steve Wolf.
The former United Airlines chairman and chief executive, in London to push US Airways’ case for access to Heathrow, said: “The US Government is aware of the key concerns over capacity at Heathrow and the UK Government knows that to get an expanded bilateral it needs there to be extra facilities at Heathrow for US carriers.”
Wolf conceded that not all US airlines will be able to gain immediate access to Heathrow after a new bilateral agreement is signed. This could delay US Airways’ move to Heathrow from Gatwick as Delta Air Lines, Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines are also keen to switch.
US Airways serves Philadelphia and Charlotte from Gatwick, but wants to move these flights to Heathrow and add services to Pittsburgh and Boston.
The next round of open skies talks are on July 6 but realistically a deal is unlikely to be agreed before November.
British Airways, which wants codeshare rights to the USand more slots, is talking to the Office of Fair Trading about what it is prepared to concede at Heathrow to gain a greater US presence.
A Government spokesman welcomed Wolf’s comments, but said the July talks were just the next step.