The UAE’s aviation chief will hold “technical talks” with US officials next month during which the subject of airline subsidies will be discussed.
This follows claims by airlines in the United States that their Arabian Gulf competitors benefit from unfair state subsidies worth billions of dollars – a claim denied by the region’s three big carriers.
"We will carry technical discussions with the US government in mid-July," Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, the director general of the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority, told The National. "We will travel to the US for the meeting."
The dispute between US and Gulf airlines has been simmering for almost two years, with claim and counterclaim of alleged anti-competitive practices. However, both sides have avoided tit-for-tat allegations in recent months.
Mr Al Suwaidi did not disclose expectations for the outcome of the talks. However, he said: “We will listen to their point of view.”
Asked if the Gulf airlines will take part in the talks, he said: “We haven’t decided on the individuals who will be part of the negotiations.”
An Etihad spokesman said the airline had not received a meeting request or update from the US government.
“However, we submitted our formal response to the false allegations made against us by the big three US carriers last May,” he said. “We respect the process and we await the outcome of the US government’s deliberations.”
Earlier this month, Emirates airline's president, Tim Clark, said he "remains optimistic" for a resolution of the dispute over open skies.
He said that Gulf airlines were a “force of good”, as they brought more choice to consumers and “raised the bar in many ways”.
Ed Bastian, the new chief executive of Atlanta-based Delta, said this month that the US government was concerned about the open skies dispute.
The UAE-US aviation talks come as the UK and the EU are assessing the regulatory impact of Brexit on the aviation sector. The UK Civil Aviation Authority has been heavily involved in European policy and agreements for decades, but after the country’s vote to leave the EU, its ability to influence future aviation policy is in doubt.
Emirates declined to comment on the talks while Qatar Airways was unavailable for comment on Tuesday.
selgazzar@thenational.ae
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Creator: Jenna Lamia
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Will Wilson is not the first player to have attained high-class representative honours after first learning to play rugby on the playing fields of UAE.
Jonny Macdonald
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Jordan Onojaife
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Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
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Delhi Daredevils 174-4 (20 ovs)
Mumbai Indians 163 (19.3 ovs)
Delhi won the match by 11 runs
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Wimbledon order of play on Tuesday, July 11
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Centre Court
Adrian Mannarino v Novak Djokovic (2)
Venus Williams (10) v Jelena Ostapenko (13)
Johanna Konta (6) v Simona Halep (2)
Court 1
Garbine Muguruza (14) v
Svetlana Kuznetsova (7)
Magdalena Rybarikova v Coco Vandeweghe (24)
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