Kazakhstan and Armenia agreed to allow airlines from both countries to employ certain freedoms in using each other's airspace (3rd, 4th, and 5th Freedoms of the Air), also removing environmental charges for road transport traveling between the two countries, QazMonitor reports citing the Civil Aviation Committee.
What happened: During the official visit of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Armenia on April 15 in Yerevan, the sides signed the amendments to the Intergovernmental Agreement on International Road Transport dated November 6, 2006. The parties also signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries' aviation authorities.
Air travel: The agreement authorizes airlines from both countries to freely operate flights between them without any restrictions on frequency, capacity, or aircraft types utilizing certain Freedoms of the Air.
This includes the 3rd, 4th, and 5th 'freedoms.' The 3rd Freedom allows the right to fly from one's own country to another. The 4th allows the right to fly from another country to one's own, and the 5th grants the right to fly between two foreign countries with a connection to one's own.
The Committee specified that Armenian airlines can now fly to Astana, Almaty, Shymkent, Aktau, Aktobe, Karagandy, Kokshetau, Oskemen, Pavlodar, Petropavl, Semey, Taraz, and Turkistan.
Additionally, Armenian Airlines will now operate regular flights on the Yerevan–Ashgabat–Astana route with commercial rights until 2027.
Road travel: The changes to the Agreement on International Road Transport introduce a permit system for moving cargo to and from third countries. Additionally, Kazakh carriers won't have to pay road and environmental charges for transporting cargo to and from Armenia. Currently, the South Caucasian country charges $100 for environmental fees on such cargo transports.
In 2023, import and export road transportation between Kazakhstan and Armenia amounted to 6,936 tons, a 21% increase to 5,748 tons in 2022. The main cargoes transported are ready-to-eat food, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, vehicles, and various machinery and equipment.