From AirlineSimPedia

Contents 1 Introduction 1.1 What are Traffic Rights? 1.2 Hold on - I can add Chinese flights just fine! 1.3 Well, ok. Where can I fly? 1.4 What about cargo flights? 1.5 What if I outgrow my domestic market? 1.6 European Union member states 1.7 Yamoussoukro Decision signatories 1.8 Political restrictions

Introduction

A critical aspect of the game, which a number of first-time players miss, is that airlines are national, not global, entities. Air traffic agreements between individual countries regulate the transport of passengers in the real world, and AirlineSim represents this, albeit in a slightly simplified manner.

What are Traffic Rights?

By 'Traffic Rights' we mean the rules which determine whether you can fly passengers between two destinations; at their most basic, your rights to serve a particular market are determined by the country in which your holding's home base is located in. For example, a holding based in Manila will pass on to its daughter enterprises the right to fly domestically between anywhere in the Phillippines, but will not be allowed to fly domestically in China.

Hold on - I can add Chinese flights just fine!

There is nothing physically stopping our hypothetical Phillippine airline from scheduling domestic flights in China; you may want to have the aircraft depart on its return journey from another airport, for example. However, any flights scheduled in such a way will receive no passenger bookings -

Well, ok. Where can I fly?

A good question - the answer or answers will vary depending on where your holding is based. The following rules are universal and apply to holdings based in all countries:

• Any airline may transport passengers domestically - that is, between two points in the same country - in the country in which its holding is based.

• Any airline may transport passengers internationally between any point in its home country - the country where its holding is based - and any point in a second country.

• Any airline may transport passengers internationally between any point in one country and any point in another, if the trip involves a stop - a takeoff and landing, at the minimum - in the country in which its holding is based.

So far, so simple. In addition to these universal rules, there are a couple of special cases:

• Any airline whose holding is based in any country in the European Union may transport passengers between any two points within the European Union by whatever routing desired; in other words, the European Union's domestic market functions as one large, virtual country. It is critical to note, however, that this rule does not apply to flights which either begin or end outside the European Union - any such flights must either begin or end in the country in which the airline's holding is based.

• Similarly, any airline whose holding is based in either Australia or New Zealand may transport passengers between any two points within both Australia and New Zealand; however, again, this rule does not apply to flights which either begin or end outside Australia and New Zealand.

• Any airline whose holding is based in a country party to the Yamoussoukro Decision may transport passengers between a second and third country if - and only if - the flight in question is a continuation of a flight from the holding's country of origin, using the in-game 'via' function.

What about cargo flights?

The global cargo market operates on a completely liberalized basis, reflecting its somewhat more challenging nature - airlines may transport cargo between any two points in the world, regardless of where their holding is based.

What if I outgrow my domestic market?

There are a number of countries throughout the world which allow foreign investment; the previously stated rules apply to these countries as they do to any other, but unlike countries which do not allow foreign investment, foreign holdings may - through the establishment of an enterprise based in the investment-open country - operate airlines in them, while enjoying all the rights granted to domestic holdings.

List of country that accept foreign investment:

• Angola, Argentina, Azerbaijan

• Bahamas, Barbados, Benin

• Costa Rica, Cambodia, Cameroon, Colombia

• Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic

• Ecuador

• Gambia, Georgia, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau

• Honduras

• Iraq, Ivory Coast

• Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait

• Laos, Lebanon (Isreal Holding not accepted)

• Moldova, Mongolia

• New Zealand, Niger

• Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay

• Qatar

• Solomon Islands, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Sudan, Swaziland

• Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu

• Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

• Zambia

European Union member states

The following countries are currently members of the European Union or members of the European Free Trade Area, both of which enjoy a liberalized air transportation market:

• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Cyprus (Republic of)
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Italy
• Latavia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Monaco
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom

Yamoussoukro Decision signatories

The following countries are currently signatories to the Yamoussoukro Decision:

• Benin
• Botswana
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Cameroon
• Cape Verde
• Central African Republic
• Congo
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Ethiopia
• Gabon
• Gambia
• Ghana
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Ivory Coast
• Kenya
• Lesotho
• Liberia
• Libya
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Mali
• Mauretania
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Rwanda
• Sao Tome and Principe
• Senegal
• Sierra Leone
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Sudan
• Swaziland
• Tanzania
• Togo
• Tunisia
• Uganda
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

Political restrictions

There are certain country-pairs which, for political reasons, do not permit travel between each other. As with domestic flights in foreign countries, there is nothing stopping the player from scheduling flights between these countries, but the aircraft themselves will fly empty. The restrictions currently in force are as follows:

Traffic between the following countries is forbidden:
Israel	Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE
USA	Iran, Cuba, Libya, Syria, North Korea
North Korea	South Korea, USA
Cyprus (TRNC)	Greece, Cyprus (Republic of)
Cyprus (Republic of)	Turkey, Cyprus (TRNC)