Under the open skies agreement, Singapore carriers may also operate any number of flights beyond the Czech Republic to any other city in the world. The same privileges are accorded to carriers from the Czech Republic.

The beyond rights may be exercised only if the third country gives the go-ahead.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said the deal was signed on Monday in Prague by its director-general and chief executive officer Lim Kim Choon and Mr Ivo Vykydal, deputy minister of transport of the Czech Republic.

Mr Lim said the deal 'reflects the warm bilateral ties between the two countries' and is a 'testament of both countries' strong commitment in establishing a fully liberal air services framework that enables our carriers to react quickly to market demand when the opportunities arise, although there are currently no direct flights between Singapore and Czech Republic.'

To date, Singapore has concluded open skies deals with more than 30 countries, of which 16 are with European Union member states.

Changi Airport is now served by 83 scheduled airlines operating more than 4,600 weekly scheduled flights to 190 cities in 60 countries.