Delta Air Lines has claimed that government subsidies granted to Gulf carriers could threaten the jobs of its own workers.
Delta, United and American Airlines have asked Gulf carriers to stop offering international flights from US airports while investigations into their government subsidies are carried out.
A report in the Minneapolis Star Tribune claims Delta believes the loss of business to Gulf Carriers could have an impact on jobs.
A spokeswoman for the airline said “upward of 1,000 aviation jobs” could be lost if a route is cancelled “due to the subsidised competition”.
She said: “I’m not going to be able to say to you, ‘Minneapolis is going to lose 300 jobs because of this’.
“What we can do right now is say our projection shows that if we are made to cancel a route due to the subsidised competition, it’s upward of 1,000 aviation jobs.”
Last month, Emirates joined Etihad Airways in refuting claims that Gulf carriers are providing unfair competition to US airlines.