Investor’s Business Daily: Without Balance, Open Skies May Mean Closed Gates
The Open Skies agreements that the U.S. has with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) both state, “Each Party shall allow a fair and equal opportunity for the designated airlines of both Parties to compete in providing the international air transportation governed by this Agreement.”
Despite this, the UAE and Qatar have engaged in unfair and unequal competition by providing their national airlines — Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways — with an estimated $50 billion in subsidies.
These subsidies enable the Gulf carriers to undercut U.S. airlines on certain international routes, shifting passengers from American carriers and consolidating them onto fewer and larger Gulf carrier flights.