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In Qatar Airways, American Airlines May Have an Unwanted Suitor

23 Jun 2017 08:56:54

nytimes.com

Akbar al-Baker, the chief executive of Qatar Airways, recently approached his counterpart at American Airlines, a bitter rival, with some news: His state-owned company wanted to buy a 10 percent stake in American.


The unexpected and bold approach, disclosed by American on Thursday, underscored the broad ambitions of Qatar Airways, which has grown from a small regional player focused on the Middle East to a global carrier with flights to 150 destinations.


But the move also was certain to intensify a long-running debate in Washington about whether airlines based in the Persian Gulf have an unfair advantage. American, with other major domestic carriers, say Qatar and other Gulf airlines receive large government subsidies that violate international agreements. Domestic carrier executives have appealed to President Trump and Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson to push back against the Gulf countries.


Read full story: nytimes.com

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