U.S., U.K. REACH BREAKTHROUGH IN AIR TALKS

U.S., U.K. REACH BREAKTHROUGH IN AIR TALKS

   U.S. and U.K. government officials have reached an agreement to restore direct air service between London and Pittsburgh, marking a major breakthrough in aviation liberalization talks between the two countries.

   Negotiators will meet again in June to re-start talks aimed at drawing up a new, more-liberal U.S.-U.K. aviation agreement, the U.S. Transportation Department said. Talks have failed in recent years to bring about a new deal following numerous set-backs and resistance from both sides.

   “True to his word, U.K. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and his team are engaging with us in substantive talks toward liberalizing our aviation agreement,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater said. “We are very pleased that we

can restore service in the important Pittsburgh-London market, and we are approaching these upcoming talks with cautious optimism.”

   In addition restoration of the Pittsburgh flights, Britain can select a new U.S. city for service to London’s Gatwick Airport or authorize an additional U.K. airline to operate between an existing U.S. gateway and Gatwick.

   The Pittsburgh slots have been empty since British Airways cancelled scheduled service on the route last summer.

   The new agreement stems from an offer made by the U.S. last week, following a face-to-face meeting between Slater and Prescott in mid-March.