It’s nothing new the battle between Emirates and Delta in the aviation business. The US airlines are upset that the Gulf carriers have been given so much money in government subsidies, which they claim is against the open skies agreement, currently in place.
Fast forward to last week, when a Emirates flight from Seattle to Dubai, had a small mechanical issue and needed a spare part, which was first given by Delta then taken back causing the airline a 6 hour delay.
Per Reuters
Emirates has accused Delta Air Lines of harming its operations by refusing it a spare part for its aircraft in the United States, stoking tensions between U.S. and Gulf carriers feuding over state subsidies.
An Emirates employee in Seattle offered a credit card to pay for the part, which it said was worth $300, but Delta refused, according to the spokeswoman.
It is common practice for airlines to loan parts to carriers away from their main base, Emirates said.
Delta said it regularly participated in spare-parts sharing with airlines.
The part was later sourced from codeshare partner Alaska Airlines.
We reached out to Delta who responded with the following:
Delta regularly participates in spare parts sharing with airlines as part of the IATP agreement. This was the last spare part of its kind in our Seattle inventory and, according to policy, was kept on hand to ensure coverage for Delta’s own operation. Having the right spare parts in the right places and in ample quantity is critical to ensuring a reliable airline operation for our customers.
Bottom Line
If Delta is looking to make “friends” in the airline industry, this is certainly no way to do so by giving Emirates the part they needed and then to take it back.
However, there is much competition and Delta isn’t looking to help out it’s international competitors, which they feel already receive unfair advantages from the government.
Whose side are you on here? Delta or Emirates? Please feel free to share your thoughts below!
Hat Tip: Point Me To The Plane
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I just don’t like saudi or UAE so go delta
That “Gulf” has a name and it’s Persian Gulf
Delta is not doing itself any favors by acting in such an obviously childish manner. If you want to act like a weasel, consider the consequences.
It’s nonsense that Emirates gets subsidised by the Dubai government. It was started in 1985 to make money for Dubai and it has been making profits for Dubai ever since. One could say Emirates is subsidising Dubai. The emirate of Dubai doesn’t have big oil reserves like its neighbouring emirate Abu Dhabi and as such has always been more reliant on developing business than leaning on oil revenue.
Delta explained that this was the last such spare part in their Seattle inventory and therefore could not afford to give it up. That seems like a reasonable explanation. And given that Delta doesn’t fly to that particular part of the world anymore, what is there to be gained by being friendly to Emirates? Apparently some of your readers don’t bother to read the article before commenting.