East African Community (EAC) Partner States have been urged to liberalise their airspaces and open up skies to promote the tourism industry in the region.

The Chairperson of the East African Tourism Platform (EATP), Mr. Fred Odek, says that the existing different restrictive Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASAs) among the Partner States were disrupting the harmonisation of air transport services in the region.

Mr. Odek, who was speaking during the official opening of the 2^nd EAC Tourism Expo in Bujumbura, Burundi, called upon the Partner States to finalise the EAC regulations to facilitate the liberalisation of air travel in the region.

“The Partner States should also grant rights to each other the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th freedoms in line with the Yamoussoukro Decision of which all Partner States are signatories,” he said, adding that by working together, Partner States could ease mobility to benefit travel in the region.