Emirates says flight delayed after Delta refuse spare part

Emirates has accused Delta of harming its operations by refusing it a spare part for its aircraft in the US, stoking tensions between US and Gulf carriers feuding over state subsidies. The Emirates flight from Seattle was delayed by more than six hours on Feb. 2, while it searched for the minor hydraulic part that needed replacing, an Emirates spokeswoman said. Delta confirmed the incident, but said "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," Delta spokesman Michael Thomas said. The hydraulic system part was initially fitted to the Emirates Boeing 777 by local engineers who had obtained the part from Delta, the Emirates spokeswoman said. However, at the request of a "senior manager" at Delta's headquarters in Atlanta the part was removed and returned just before passengers boarded resulting in a further delay, the spokeswoman said. "It is sad, in our view, that any airline would deny such standard, technical assistance to another carrier based on orders from headquarters that had nothing to do with maintenance or cost but seem clearly to have been intended to inflict harm on the airline and its customers," the Emirates spokeswoman said. It is common practice for airlines to loan parts to carriers away from their main base, Emirates said. Delta denied it had tried to obstruct the flight.<br/>