Brussels, 18/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - In a speech delivered in Washington on 17 March, James Hogan, president of Etihad Airlines, rejected accusations of unfair competition.
A number of American airlines and member states have claimed that his company, Qatar Airways and Etihad, are heavily subsidised by the Gulf States and have accused it of unfair competition against European airlines (see EUROPE 11274).
“The world's two largest airline markets, the United States and the European Union, are closed, giving their own airlines a huge advantage”, argued Hogan. Pointing out that Etihad carried close to 15 million passengers in 2014, he stated that “the three major European legacy groups carry eighteen times more”.
On the same day, Emirates Airlines President Tim Clark stated: “All the debate about what constitutes a subsidy, what is fair or unfair competition under whose laws… are just distractions from the real issue at hand - which is that the three biggest US carriers, who together with their joint venture partners already control about two-thirds of international flights from the USA”. (Jean Comte)