Representatives of the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor) and the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) received an Irish delegation for another round of negotiations on air services. The Brazilian government's proposal is to make the current bilateral agreement more flexible to guarantee the so-called 5th freedom to airlines, with direct flights to Ireland. This is a right that allows companies to pick up and drop off passengers or cargo at an intermediate point on a given route. In practice, aircraft departing from Brazil, bound for the Irish capital, Dublin, could proceed from there to other European countries, for example, before returning here.
During the meeting held at MPor, Minister Silvio Costa Filho noted that the bilateral agreement is a great opportunity for expansion of aviation between the countries and also for boosting tourism in Latin America and Europe. "This is a landmark for both governments, which have been showing mutual interest in opening new markets and in strengthening the mode that transports the most people in the world on long-distance trips. Insofar as it depends on the Ministry of Ports and Airports and the federal government, the agreement will be concluded soon, opening paths for air operations between the nations," he stated.
"This is a landmark for both governments, which have been showing mutual interest in opening new markets and in strengthening the mode that transports the most people in the world" Silvio Costa Filho
The executive secretary of MPor, Tomé Franca, explained to Ireland's Minister of Transport, Darragh O'Brien, why Anac's understanding should be followed. "It is necessary to guarantee commercial sustainability in this type of operation. The principle of 5th freedom, therefore, is essential for this," he stressed.
In thanking Brazil for all its efforts, the Irish minister stated that the Irish government is entirely committed to this project, "which is significant for tourism and commerce, and further strengthens the growing ties between our peoples," he declared.
The acting secretary of Civil Aviation, Clarissa Barros, stated that most air services agreements signed by the Brazilian government with other nations already provide for more freedom of movement for airlines. However, in the case of the Irish government, they are more restrictive. According to Clarissa, at the meeting this Tuesday (10), the Irish government showed willingness to include 5th freedom in the multilateral agreement as long as it is approved route by route. "That is, Ireland would give the green light for each route to operate under 5th freedom, which is not Anac's practice," the secretary explained.
During the meeting, Anac was represented by substitute international advisor, Diego José Pereira da Silva, and by the manager of the Air Services Monitoring Superintendence, Roque Felizardo da Silva. The Anac representative said that a counterproposal to Ireland's text will be presented by the agency within the next few days.
Source: https://www.gov.br/portos-e-aeroportos/pt-br/assuntos/noticias/2026/03/brasil-e-irlanda-realizam-nova-rodada-de-negociacoes-sobre-servicos-aereos
