Delta resurrects its battle against Ex-Im taking aim at Gulf airlines, LATAM and LOT

Delta Air Lines has reignited its battle against the US Ex-Im Bank through new litigation that revives old arguments that the bank's loans disrupt the competitive balance among global airlines. But the carrier and its co plaintiffs in the new litigation, Hawaiian Airlines and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), are using a framework imposed on the bank in approving loans as their latest line of defence, claiming recently approved financings violate a new Congressional mandate that governs how the bank assesses loan approvals.

Delta is taking aim at familiar adversaries in its latest quest to squelch Ex-Im aircraft financing, arguing that the aircraft the bank plans to finance for the Gulf powerhouses of Emirates and Etihad will continue to hurt the viability of US carriers. But the airline is also setting its sights on financial support Ex-Im is evaluating for its SkyTeam partner Korean Air and Latin America's new powerhouse LATAM Airlines Group.