Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg hopes the governments can come to resolution on Open Skies

Washington, D.C. (November 10, 2015) – Yesterday, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg was quoted in the press as saying that he hopes that the U.S. and the governments of United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar are able to work together to make sure Open Skies agreements are preserving fair competition in the skies. In response to these comments, Jill Zuckman, chief spokesperson for the Partnership for Open & Fair Skies, released the following statement:

“Boeing’s CEO has it right, the Open Skies agreements are good for our economy, for free trade and for consumers. Of course, consistent with well-established U.S. free trade policy, these agreements only work if everyone is playing by the same set of rules. Open Skies is based on a level competitive playing field, but right now the Gulf carriers are breaking the rules by taking more than $42 billion in subsidies from the governments of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Open Skies won’t survive as a policy if the agreements are not enforced. We join Boeing in urging the U.S. government to swiftly open a dialogue with the governments of the UAE and Qatar to enforce these bilateral agreements and prevent U.S. Open Skies policy from being upended throughout the world.”