The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said it has signed an air services agreement with the French Civil Aviation Authority to boost flight services between the two countries.

The MoU was signed by Omar Bin Ghaleb, GCAA deputy director general and François Théoleyre, deputy director for Airlines and Air Services of the French Civil Aviation Authority at a ceremony held in Abu Dhabi recently.

Alain Azouaou, French Ambassador to UAE took part along with the representatives from Abu Dhabi Department of Transport, Dubai Civil Aviation, Sharjah Department of Civil Aviation, Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways.

As per the pact, the two countries have agreed to add 22 weekly passenger frequencies, mounting up to 57, the total number of frequencies available to be operated by the designated airlines of each party, said a GCAA statement.

This implies an increase of over 60 per cent in the number of frequencies between the two countries, it added.

Furthermore, in addition to Paris, Nice, Lyons, Marseilles and Toulouse, both delegations agreed to add Bordeaux as a sixth point of destination in France for the flights to be operated by the designated airlines of the UAE, the statement said.

In addition to Emirates and Etihad Airways, the UAE delegation has designated Air Arabia as an UAE national airline under the agreement.-TradeArabia News Service