In a move that is likely to stoke a smoldering Open Skies dispute with the legacy U.S. airlines, Emirates on Monday announced that it will begin daily, nonstop service between Newark and Athens on March 12.
"We are pleased to be able to help meet a strong consumer need long neglected by other airlines, and we would like to thank the authorities and our partners in both the U.S. and Greece for their support of the new route," Emirates president Tim Clark said a statement on Monday.
The flight, which will continue on from Athens to Emirates' Dubai hub, is just the second that the international carrier will offer between the U.S. and a location other than Dubai. The other, Emirates' daily flight from New York Kennedy to Malpensa airport in Milan, has rankled American and Delta, both of which also fly Kennedy to Milan. American, Delta and also United are aligned in a political push to halt the U.S. network growth of Emirates and fellow Gulf carriers Etihad and Qatar.
The legacy carriers accuse their Gulf competitors of accepting $50 billion in government subsidies since 2004 in violation of international Open Skies aviation agreements. The Gulf carriers deny the accusations.
With
the launch of the Athens flight, Emirates will be the lone airline to fly
year-round between the New York area and Athens. Last year United began flying
Newark-Athens seasonally in the summer and Delta flies to Athens during the summer
from Kennedy.
The Emirates flight will also be its first to Newark, which will become its 12th U.S. destination. In addition, Emirates flies four times daily to Kennedy, once on the controversial Milan route and three times non-stop from Dubai.
The carrier's announcement of the Athens flight came just three days after Donald Trump, who ran on a protectionist trade platform, took occupancy of the Oval Office.
On Nov. 9, one day after the election, the Partnership for Open & Fair Skies, an advocacy group made up of U.S. airline unions and the Big Three legacy carriers, indicated that they viewed Trump's election as a new opportunity to call on the U.S. government to clamp down on network expansion of Emirates, Etihad and Qatar within the U.S. -- pleas that didn't gain traction with the Obama Administration.
The partnership reiterated that position in an email to Travel Weekly Monday.
"By flagrantly violating its Open Skies agreement with the United States at the start of the Trump administration, Emirates is throwing down the gauntlet," Jill Zuckman, the organization's chief spokesperson, said. "We look forward to working with President Trump and his team to enforce these agreements and protect American jobs -- something that the Obama Administration failed to do."
Clark, on Monday, emphasized the economic benefits of the new Newark-Athens route.
"The availability of high quality, daily international air services is essential for the development of business and cultural ties," he said. "Trade, especially in high-value and time-sensitive products, will be facilitated by the ample cargo capacity on Emirates' Boeing 777 aircraft. We also expect tourism to receive a major boost from the availability of daily flights year-round."