Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said he is "very encouraged" by President-elect Donald Trump's commitment to enforce trade agreements, because of the airline's position that Middle Eastern carriers are unfairly subsidized by their governments.
"We are facing Middle Eastern carriers that are violating the law," Bastian said during the airline's investor day on Thursday. "They are violating trade agreements and dumping a tremendous amount of capacity" into markets, he said.
Bastian said Delta has worked closely with the Obama administration on the issue, and has been less vocal on the issue recently to avoid inflaming the situation because consultations on the matter have been occurring. "We thought we'd give them some time," he said, but added that the consultations have not yielded the progress expected.
"This should be a topic on the list for the new administration," Bastian said. "We should be the poster child for the new administration coming in, for the opportunity to enforce America's trade agreements."
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