The long-awaited “open skies” agreement between the US and European Union is coming into effect, aiming to open up trans-Atlantic air travel.

The deal ends limits on which airlines can fly between the US and EU, and it is expected to lead to a large rise in the number of carriers on the routes.

However, changes at big airports such as Heathrow will be minimised by the limited availability of take-off slots.

New trans-Atlantic services are likely to use smaller airports instead.

[Source]