(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) The man in charge of the Dubai-based Emirates Air Lines on Tuesday strongly denied accusations that his company accepted government subsidies and exploited Open Skies regulations to effectively steal traffic from US carriers.
"The allegations are incorrect," Sir Tim Clark told reporters at a press conference following two days of meetings with the Departments of State, Transportation, and Commerce, which he only described as "very constructive.
"We are not here to take down other carriers," he said of claims that Emirates has an unfair advantage in the marketplace. "Fair skies are open skies." Clark was responding to a 55-page document released jointly by Delta, United, American Airlines, and US-based aviation unions earlier this month, claiming that Emirates, the Abu Dhabi-based Etihad, and Qatar Airways received a total of USD 42 billion in subsidies from their respective governments over the last decade.
The subsidies "undermine the true spirit of Open Skies and distort the international aviation market," Richard Anderson, the CEO of Delta Air Lines, said.
The document also alleges that Emirates received USD 2.7 billion from the government of the UAE to cover its fuel hedging losses - a charge to which Clark simply responded, "Tosh." "We have not been subsidized in any way, shape or form," he affirmed, adding the "smart thing" for US carriers to do was "to work with us, not against us," considering the "unprecedented scale" of success of Emirates' service on international routes, he said.
Clark noted the document "comes as a bit of a surprise," particularly as it took two years to produce, he said.
Emirates "will rebut all the things said about us" in its own report "line by line," he pledged.
Once that report is complete, he said, Emirates expects to "get the benefit of an apology" from those who leveled these accusations against it.
If any legal options are warranted, they will be looked at after the release of the rebuttal report, Clark said.
"One hopes sense will prevail," he added.
Emirates Air Lines was founded in 1985 and currently serves nine US gateways, but is looking to expand into 20 hubs.
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