Calls for EU to help defend airlines from Middle East rivals

Richard Anderson, Delta’s chairman and chief executive officer, has publicaly stated that the European Union should help the region’s carriers compete with fast-growing Middle East carriers. He says carriers such as Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways are using their geographical position to take market share from established entrants on long haul routes. This support, Anderson says, should take the form of EU provided antitrust immunity for services to Asia.