Says U.S. Government Must Enforce Open Skies Agreement

An announcement by Emirates Airline of new flights from Newark, NJ to Dubai via Athens, Greece has drawn fire from the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA).

In a statement, the pilots' union said that the Middle-Eastern carrier is only able to sustain its soaring growth by using subsidies from the UAE government, giving it a competitive advantage.

“These enormous subsidies put U.S. airlines at a tremendous economic disadvantage and threaten U.S. airline workers’ jobs––and fly in the face of the Trump administration’s ‘America First’ governing philosophy. Emirates could not purchase the aircraft or operate the extensive route network it does without massive subsidies from its government," ALPA said in a statement released to the media.
 
“The U.S. government must ensure that its Open Skies agreements maintain a global business environment that is undistorted by foreign government subsidies. U.S. aviation workers are ready and willing to compete internationally, but the marketplace must be free from foreign government distortion.
 
“We urge the Trump administration to do what the Obama administration failed to do and stand up for U.S. workers and demand that the United Arab Emirates government end these subsidies and restore fair competition for U.S. companies while safeguarding U.S. workers’ jobs.”

(Source: ALPA news release)

FMI: www.alpa.org