WASHINGTON, DC (March 31, 2017) – In response to President Trump’s new executive orders that seek to curb trade abuses and unfair deals, the Partnership for Open & Skies release the following statement:

“President Trump recognizes that trade abuses pose a threat to American workers and American businesses that can no longer be ignored. We applaud the president and his administration for taking action,” said Jill Zuckman, chief spokesperson for the Partnership for Open & Fair Skies. “From its first day in office, this administration has been clear that – as President Trump said in his inauguration speech – it will ‘stand up to trade cheating anywhere and everywhere it threatens the American job.’ There’s no better example of this cheating than the violations of Open Skies agreements by the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, which have funneled over $50 billion in illegal subsidies to their state-owned airlines in a scheme to take over global aviation. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has promised to identify ‘every form of trade abuse,’ and we look forward to working with him to protect American workers and businesses by stopping the Gulf carrier cheating.”

In today’s press conference on the executive orders, President Trump said he would “create a level playing field for the American worker.” Additionally, Secretary Ross spoke of the president’s resolve to fix U.S. trade problems and begin “a totally new chapter in the American trade relationship with our partners overseas,” a promising sign for the 1.2 million American workers threatened by the Gulf carriers’ deal-breaking behavior.

The Partnership for Open & Fair Skies has documented over $50 billion in government subsidies received by Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways from their Gulf state owners, in violation of Open Skies agreements. The subsidies harm the U.S. aviation industry and hard-working Americans. In fact, for every international flight that U.S. airlines are forced to close due to subsidy-fueled Gulf carrier expansion, economists estimate that over 1,500 American jobs are lost.

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 action against the UAE and Qatar for violating their Open Skies agreements with the United States by pumping more than $50 billion in subsidies to their state-owned airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways.