U.S. airlines urge government to modify some air treaties: WSJ

(Reuters) - Chief executives of the three largest U.S. airlines said they want the U.S. government to modify or terminate air treaties with two Perisan Gulf nations, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Chief executives of American Airlines Group Inc , United Continental Holdings Inc and Delta Air Lines Inc said in a joint interview that three state-owned Gulf airlines receive subsidies under open skies treaties that have helped them fly and set rates freely in the United States, the Journal reported.

According to the U.S. Department of State, open skies treaties provide "maximum operational flexibility for airline alliances." (http://1.usa.gov/YMQlQt)

The executives also said that Emirates Airline [EMIRA.UL], Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways have received $42.3 billion in subsidies since 2004, the Journal reported on Thursday. (http://on.wsj.com/1DDfDzd)

The U.S. airlines cited in the report as well as Emirates, Etihad and Qatar were not immediately available for comment.

(Reporting by Abinaya Vijayaraghavan in Bengaluru)