How does the fifth freedom of the air allow airlines to carry passengers between foreign countries?

In the context of air law, the fifth freedom is a specific type of traffic right that allows an airline to transport passengers, mail, or cargo between two foreign countries as part of a service that originates or terminates in the airline's home state.1

Specifically, it grants an airline the privilege of picking up traffic destined for a third state, or discharging traffic that originated in a third state, while operating within the territory of a state that has granted this privilege. Because states maintain complete and exclusive sovereignty over their own airspace, these rights are not automatic; they are typically negotiated through bilateral international agreements between governments.1

While the first two freedoms of the air focus on transit (flying across or stopping for technical reasons), the fifth freedom is a commercial traffic right and serves as a primary bargaining point when nations exchange aviation access.1