Airline Pilots Oppose CBP Facility in Abu Dhabi
An Administration proposal to establish a U.S. CBP facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport would give a foreign airline a competitive edge over U.S. airlines and reallocate CBP resources at a time of across-the-board budget cuts and long delays for U.S. airlines' passengers, said the president of the Air Line Pilots Association, in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. The plan "must be immediately dropped," said ALPA President Lee Moak.
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The administration's proposal to establish a CBP preclearance facility in the UAE would exclusively benefit state-backed Etihad Airways, the UAE's national airline, because no U.S. airline currently serves Abu Dhabi International Airport, ALPA said. The letter said the recently-passed FY 2013 Continuing Resolution has language that prohibits the use of third-party reimbursement for preclearance facilities such as the one the Administration is proposing in Abu Dhabi.
"DHS resources and CBP facilities and services should first and foremost benefit U.S. travelers, U.S. airlines and their employees, U.S. taxpayers, and the U.S. economy," Moak said.