Much of corporate America may cringe over some of Donald Trump’s policy positions, in particular his stance on trade. But Trump’s rhetoric bears a striking resemblance to arguments that have been made by a critical segment of the American business community—US airlines and their unions. The 3 largest American carriers contend that 3 rivals in the Middle East, subsidised by the govts of United Arab Emirates and Qatar, don’t compete fairly on international routes. The airlines say that the Middle East trio has received more than US$50b in subsides “and other unfair benefits” from their govts, violating the Open Skies agreements the US has signed with Qatar and the UAE. Trump has made trade a central issue in his campaign. Senator Bernie Sanders shared similar views on some trade deals. <br/>
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India will make availability of airport slots for its airlines part of bilateral seat-sharing talks with other nations. Indian airlines have complained about lack of preferred slots in busy airports like Dubai and Abu Dhabi. "There is a consensus in the ministry that we need to be more vocal about our carriers," said an official in the civil aviation ministry. Indian airlines complain not having slots in foreign airports hampers their scheduling, curbing the viability of overseas operations. "Dubai is a slot-constrained airport and our airlines have spoken about difficulties in getting slots there. This issue will be a part of the bilateral discussions we have with Dubai," Civil Aviation secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey said Thursday. Dubai is seeking 50,000 additional seats to India. <br/>
More wealthy Indians are buying business class seats on international flights, primarily as corporates expand their business interests globally and spend on premium air travel for their senior management. A year-on-year comparison done for every month since January revealed bookings in the segment jumped by up to 75%. The growth in popularity in the front end of the cabin is testimony to India's economic growth and increased corporate activity that has directly led to a spurt in corporate travel. Industry data showed that Indian passengers are opting more for foreign carriers that have a wider global air network than their Indian counterparts. Business class bookings on foreign carriers grew by 37% to 88% year-on-year every month from January to August. For Indian carriers, they declined every month except in March and June. <br/>
Nigeria's aviation authority Thursday rejected suggestions that some of the country's airlines were set to close after 2 carriers suspended flights indefinitely. Airlines in Nigeria, which is in its first recession for more than 20 years because of the effects of a slump in oil revenues, have experienced fuel shortages in the last few months because the supply of dollars needed to pay for refined oil products has dried up. The fuel shortages have caused an increase in cancellations and delays to flights across the nation. Airline Aero Contractors said all of its scheduled flights were "temporarily suspended" from Sept 1. Another airline, First Nation, also said that it had suspended its flights. "The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has dismissed sundry claims that some airlines are winding down their operations," said DG Muhtar Usman. <br/>