Qatar hits back against criticism from US over Air Italy stake

Qatar Airways issued a sharp rebuke to what it described as “false accusations” from US lawmakers and the Trump administration, saying that its investment in Air Italy is “fully compliant” with the US-Qatar Open Skies Agreement, as well as the Jan 2018 US-Qatar Understandings and an accompanying side-letter. The carrier pointed out that its 49% stake in the Italian carrier “is the same level that Delta holds in both Virgin Atlantic and Aeromexico, and that Etihad held in Alitalia.” “The ‘Big 3’ US carriers have consistently demonstrated their hostility to new entrants into the US-Europe market, and their attacks on Air Italy based on the identity of its minority shareholder are just another manifestation of this hostility,” the airline wrote. “Air Italy…has a fleet of just 15 aircraft and only serves 1 US city”. <br/>