Washington, D.C. (January 31, 2017) – Today, the Partnership for Open & Fair Skies issued the following statement regarding the confirmation of Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao.

“We congratulate Secretary Chao on her confirmation as secretary of transportation, and applaud her commitment to addressing our nation’s most pressing infrastructure and transportation needs,” said Jill Zuckman, chief spokesperson for the Partnership for Open and Fair Skies. “In particular, we look forward to working with Secretary Chao on a critical issue to the U.S. aviation industry where the Obama administration failed to stand up against foreign interests and protect the jobs of hard-working Americans. The United Arab Emirates and Qatar are violating their agreements with the United States and threatening the jobs of hundreds of thousands of American aviation workers by massively subsidizing their state-owned airlines. We are optimistic that Secretary Chao and the rest of the Trump team will enforce our agreements and stand up for American jobs.”

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.