"Under the policy, Canada will pursue open agreements... when it is in Canada's overall interest and we will pursue more liberalized agreements on a reciprocal basis where obstacles exist to a true open-skies agreement," Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon said Monday at Toronto's Pearson International Airport.

"The key here isn't so much the principle of open skies but what the minister said, which was that there had to be reciprocal benefit," said Duncan Dee, Air Canada's senior vice-president of corporate affairs.

Air Canada has "benefited tremendously" from the current agreements, Dee said, adding that on the Canada-U.S. market, the Montreal-based airline is "the largest single carrier operating between both countries and we see a lot of opportunities there."