Qatar agrees to financial disclosures in spat with US carriers

Qatar Airways has agreed to release detailed financial statements, the US government said Tuesday, as part of a response to accusations by US airlines that the carrier had been illegally subsidized by its government. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that Qatar and the US had opened a “strategic dialogue” to address domestic airlines’ concerns that the three major Gulf carriers had been unfairly propped up by their governments, putting US carriers at a competitive disadvantage. “The outcome we achieve will ensure a level playing field in the global aviation market,” Tillerson said at a briefing in Washington, alongside Qatari officials. Qatar Airways was not immediately available for comment. Qatar is expected to begin publishing annual financial statements, audited by an outside party, with the first one due over the next year, the US State Department said. Within two years, Qatar is expected to also disclose significant new transactions with other state-owned enterprises and “take steps to ensure that such transactions are based on commercial terms.” Both sides of the debate hailed the move as a win, but Tuesday’s announcement does little to substantially change the state of play in the international flight industry.<br/>