Dubai: The United States government is likely to ignore complaints from its biggest airlines to restrict access to the Gulf’s three major carriers, a US-based analyst said on Wednesday.

American Airlines, Delta Air and United are reportedly calling on its government to rethink its open skies agreements with Gulf states because they say Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways are propped up by state subsides worth $40 billion since 2004.

“Curtailing open skies agreements is trying to put the genie back in the bottle — you can’t,” said Addison Schonland, founder and partner at AirInsight, a US-based commercial aviation consulting firm, by email on Wednesday.

Emirates has publicly refuted the accusations. Etihad and Qatar Airways, which have previously said they do not receive state subsidies, have yet to respond to the US carriers’ claims.

“The fact is that Gulf carriers have the most modern fleets and superb reputation for service … [they] have grown because they built better business models,” Schonland said.

He added that the US carriers “cannot wrap themselves in the Protect American Jobs” blanket because they have laid off thousands of workers and made big orders with European aeroplane manufacturer Airbus in recent years.

Emirates, along with Etihad and Qatar Airways, have purchased a combined 477 long-haul aircraft from US aircraft manufacturer Boeing, according to its website, since 2004.

American, Delta and United have purchased 142 long-haul Boeing aircraft over the same period; however, have also purchased a combined 675 short-haul Boeing aircraft, which would not compete on routes with the Gulf carriers.



Emirates operates the world's largest Boeing 777 fleet