Coming Soon: More Subsidized Flights to America, U.S. Aviation Jobs Overseas
Emirates announces 10th daily flight to U.S., threatening U.S. airline jobs
Statement from Americans for Fair Skies on the announcement of service by Emirates Airways to Orlando International Airport (MCO) starting September 1, 2015:
“It kinda makes sense that Emirates would fly to Orlando, home of Disney World, because like Mickey Mouse, this airline is not real. It’s make believe. It’s not a company. What is not a fairy tale, however, is that Emirates is an arm of the Dubai government, located in the United Arab Emirates. But unlike the magic of Disney World, Emirates and the other two subsidized Gulf carriers, Qatar Airways and Etihad, are threatening U.S. aviation jobs and distorting the international marketplace.
“More than $40 billion in subsidies provided by the home governments of three Gulf airlines has allowed for the unprecedented and unwarranted expansion of the airlines into the U.S., dumping seat capacity into the U.S. and putting American jobs at risk. For every route from which the U.S. airlines are displaced, or forgo, to the subsidized competition from the airlines of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, 800 U.S. aviation jobs are lost. This has to end now.
“Americans for Fair Skies is a grassroots coalition, established with the aim of restoring fairness to our Open Skies policies. We are asking that the U.S. government to take action on what has been established as the largest trade violation in history by freezing new routes from Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar into the U.S. and entering into immediate consultations with the governments of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to bring about an end to the subsidies to their national airlines.
“The United Arab Emirates and Qatar’s blatant violations of Open Skies policies represent predatory protectionism at its worst through the subsidization of their airlines. Last week, Americans for Fair Skies launched a new television ad, which can be viewed here, highlighting how the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are shredding Open Skies agreements they signed with the U.S. by providing their airlines more than $40 billion in subsidies.”
Learn more at fairskies.wpengine.com
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