Canada liberalises air services arrangements with Mexico

On 12 August 2011 the Canadian government announced that it has expanded its air transport agreement with Mexico.

The key feature of the new arrangements is the removal of capacity limits on direct (3rd/4th freedom) flights between the two countries.

Tariffs regulation provisions have also been liberalised, and the safety and security articles updates.

Next air services negotiating priorities for the United States

On 31 March 2011 Air Transport World reported US Assistant Secretary for State Jose Fernandez as saying that the next air services negotiation priorities for the United States are China, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Russia.

Brazil relaxes air services restrictions with Canada, Mexico and Russia

On 29 March 2011 Reuters reported that Brazil had agreed to relax restrictions in its air services arrangements with separately Canada (restrictions on capacity removed), Mexico (restrictions on capacity removed except at Sao Paulo and Mexico City) and Russia (to 14 flights per week up from three).

Mapping the spread of Influenza Type A H1N1

There are a number of maps now available on the web that are illustrating in this age of rapid international air travel how fast diseases can travel between countries and around the world:

• HealthMap - also tracks other diseases
• FluTracker
  
• BBC - see the day-by-day spread
  
• New York Times
  
• Ushahidi
  
• Swine Flu World Map
  

At a national level the following web sites cover just the United States:

• PandemicFlu.gov
• Google Flu Trends
• Swine Flu Map Animation
  

In New Zealand official information on the current outbreak is available from the Ministry of Health.

Canada and Mexico create new bilateral air services opportunities

A 14 December 2007 news release from the Government of Canada reports that Canada and Mexico have agreed to create new opportunities for their airlines and to meet again in 2009. The release is short on details.

Back on 27 May 2007 the US Secretary for Transportation announced that she was signing with Canada and Mexico a Ministerial Declaration that including a vision for signing a Trilateral Open Skies agreement within the next 10 years.