/Emirates-heading-to-Washington-to-sort-out-Open-Sk.jpg?tr=w-160%2Ch-90%2Cfo-auto "Emirates heading to Washington to sort out Open Skies dispute")
Emirates heading to Washington to sort out Open Skies dispute
The US airlines claim the alleged subsidies received by Gulf airlines are “in violation of Open Skies policy and put thousands of US airline jobs at risk”.
Emirates Airlines has stepped up its spat with US airlines
by launching a sales promotion offering two-for-one economy class airfares to Dubai
from its nine US gateways: New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, Houston,
Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Dallas Ft. Worth.
The fare sale comes days after three US carriers - American
Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines – made public a 55-page White Paper
outlining how they believe Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways have
“received $42 billion in quantifiable subsidies and other unfair benefits from
their respective governments in the last decade”.
The US airlines claim the alleged subsidies received by Gulf
airlines are “in violation of Open Skies policy and put thousands of US airline
jobs at risk”.
Arabian Business reported
that Emirates president Tim Clark plans talks with officials in Washington to
help formulate its response to the allegations of unfair subsidies.
Clark said that the airline had not received subsidies.
"I've been there since the beginning, we were given a clean sheet of paper
and a $10 million cheque. We built this through blood, sweat and tears,"
he said.
Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said the US airlines had
themselves received backdoor subsidies via Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.