WASHINGTON, DC (April 24, 2017) – In response to Qatar Airways’ announcement of its planned expansion to San Francisco, the Partnership for Open & Fair Skies issued the following statement.

"President Trump hasn't even hit the 100-day mark in office and a Gulf carrier is launching yet another subsidized route into the United States,” said Jill Zuckman, chief spokesperson for the Partnership for Open & Fair Skies. “Qatar Airways receives billions of dollars in illegal subsidies from its government in order to fly to our country and trash American jobs. It's time to enforce our international agreements and stand up for 1.2 million American jobs supported by the U.S. carriers."

Background on Partnership for Open & Fair Skies

The Partnership for Open & Fair Skies is a coalition that includes American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, along with the Air Line Pilots Association, the Allied Pilots Association, the Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, the Communications Workers of America, and the Airline Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The Partnership is calling for the United States to enforce its Open Skies agreements with the UAE and Qatar, which have pumped more than $50 billion in subsidies to their state-owned airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways. In January 2015, the Partnership published a white paper providing a comprehensive overview and analysis of this issue.