Freedoms of The Air - Fifth Freedom

Fifth Freedom

The fifth freedom, also referred to as beyond rights, allows an airline to carry revenue traffic between foreign countries as a part of services connecting the airline's own country. It is the right to carry passengers from one's own country to a second country, and from that country to a third country (and so on). The "unofficial 'seventh freedom'", is a variation of the fifth freedom and allows international services wholly outside of an airline's origin. An example of a fifth freedom flight is a 2004 Emirates flight originating in Dubai to Brisbane, Australia, and then from Brisbane to Auckland, New Zealand, where tickets can be sold on any or all sectors, and in the reverse direction if flights are offered.

Fifth Freedom rights were instrumental to the economic viability of long-haul flight until the early 1980s when advances in technology and increases in passenger volume allowed the introduction of more non-stop services. It was not uncommon for carriers to schedule multiple stops in foreign countries on the way to a direct flight's final destination, especially those connecting Europe with Africa, South America and the Far East. An example of such multi-stage flying is a mid-1980s Rome—Tokyo Alitalia flight by way of Athens, Delhi, Bangkok and Hong Kong. Such routings in Asia approximated the Silk Road Fifth freedom flights are still highly common in East Asia, particularly routes serving Tokyo and the Bangkok—Hong Kong route, which, for example, at one point in 2004 was served by at least 4 airlines not based in either Thailand or Hong Kong. Other major markets which are served by numerous fifth freedom flights include Europe, South America, the Caribbean, the North Atlantic, and the Tasman Sea. Fifth freedom rights are also sought by airlines wishing to take up unserved and underserved routes, or those airlines whose flights already make technical stops at a location as allowed by the second freedom.