Release #: 15.13
April 30, 2015
Statement on Bipartisan Letter Sent by 262 Members of Congress Expressing Concern over Middle East Airline Subsidies
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Captain Tim Canoll, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) today released the following statement applauding the 262 members of Congress who sent a letter urging the U.S. government to open consultations with the governments of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. A recent investigation revealed these governments have been providing massive subsidies to their state-owned airlines.
"We applaud the strong bipartisan support from 262 members of Congress in asking the U.S. Departments of State and Transportation to open consultations with the governments of Qatar and the UAE. We hope our government will move quickly once the public comment period closes," said Captain Canoll. "Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, and Emirates Airline receive billions of dollars in government subsidies. These actions undermine our Open Skies policy and the principles of fair and equal competition and threaten thousands of U.S. aviation jobs. A deal is a deal. These countries agreed to Open Skies without government intervention, which is impossible to achieve when our airlines are competing against theirgovernments."
To view the full text of the letter, click here.
Background on Partnership for Open & Fair Skies
ALPA is a member of the Partnership for Open & Fair Skies, a coalition that includes American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, along with the Allied Pilots Association, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, the Communications Workers of America, the Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association, the Airline Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and the Transportation Workers Union of America. The Partnership presented a white paper, Restoring Open Skies: The Need to Address Subsidized Competition from State-Owned Airlines in Qatar and the UAE, to the U.S. government earlier this year.
The Partnership is calling on the Obama Administration to open consultations under the Open Skies agreements with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to address the flow of subsidized capacity to the U.S., and to seek a freeze on new passenger service during the consultations.
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilot union, representing more than 51,000 pilots at 30 airlines in the United States and Canada. Visit the ALPA website at www.alpa.org or follow us on Twitter @WeAreALPA.
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CONTACT: ALPA Media, 703-481-4440 or Media@alpa.org