Etihad Airways CEO James Hogan has warned that the dark clouds of protectionism gathering over the air travel industry in Europe and the US pose a significant threat to the millions of travellers who have benefited from new choice in the market.
Addressing the Aviation Club in london, he said, "international regulators should recognise that investing in success is not a crime; blocking competition would be". "The dark clouds of protectionism are gathering over Europe and the United States," he said. "Five mega-carriers are trying to pull the ladder up after years of having it their own way. The people that will really lose if these giant legacy airlines are successful are the millions of travellers benefiting from new choice in the global air travel market."
He was speaking a week after European and US carriers attacked Etihad Airways' rapid growth of the last decade. Hogan also questioned the claims of the airlines campaigning against Etihad Airways. The US and European carriers have asked their respective regulators to address the issue of unfair competition. They claim that Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways receive subsidies from their governments – an allegation that has been strongly denied. Etihad Airways shareholder, the Government of Abu Dhabi, had chosen to invest in a new airline at a time when many factors combined to offer major opportunities."