A4A seeks US National Airline Policy

Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, claims that record-breaking aircraft orders from Middle Eastern carriers, totaling $162.6 billion, underscore the need for a U.S. National Airline Policy, in which the U.S. government recognizes the critical role that U.S. carriers play in connecting America to global markets, and creating jobs across the entire economy.

"The massive orders from the Middle Eastern carriers at the Dubai Airshow should serve as a wake-up call to our government about the need to implement a National Airline Policy that would help level the playing field, enable U.S. carriers to compete globally and benefit passengers and shippers. America needs strong airlines to connect people and goods to the global economy and to ensure our country's competitiveness," said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. "Rather than tilting the competitive playing field against U.S. airlines and their passengers, our government must play its appropriate role in enabling U.S. commercial aviation to grow and prosper while presenting even more formidable competition to our global challengers."

A4A has called for a National Airline Policy to normalize the tax and regulatory environment to be more in line with other industries and enable the U.S. airline industry to grow and prosper - recognizing it as the economic engine that drives 5 percent of GDP and 10 million U.S. jobs.

"We seek fair, no-nonsense policies that enable the entire aviation industry to fulfill its potential to generate good paying jobs and bolster our domestic economy," said Calio. "Even more important, we want our government to stop actions that benefit state-owned foreign carriers over U.S. carriers.