Campaigners in the US have issued a statement in response to Qatar Airways’ chief  Akbar Al Baker’s comments on Wednesday that his planned new route from Doha to Atlanta would “rub salt in the wounds” of American carrier Delta Air Lines.

The Partnership for Open Skies, the lobby group campaigning on behalf of US airlines in the ongoing subsidies row with Gulf carriers, said the Atlanta route was being launched “for the sake of petty peevishness rather than rational, market-based reasoning”.

Qatar Airways plans to commence services to Atlanta, Georgia, on June 1 2016.

During a press conference in Berlin in which the airline unveiled its expansion plans for the year ahead, CEO Al Baker reportedly said that the decision to launch services to Atlanta would “rub salt into the wounds of Delta”.

Delta Air Lines is one of three US airlines that claim Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates Airlines have received unfair subsidies from their government to help spur their growth, contravening Open Skies agreements. The three Gulf carriers all deny the charges.

In a statement on Thursday morning, Jill Zuckman, chief spokesperson for the Partnership for Open and Fair Skies, said: “Mr Al Baker has made it crystal clear that the subsidies his airline receives from the government of Qatar allow him to fly routes for the sake of petty peevishness rather than rational, market-based reasoning.

“Of course, with $17.5 billion in subsidies, Mr. Al Baker can choose to fly anywhere, anytime – even if his flights lose money and make no economic sense. The truth is, Qatar Airways is expanding at an inordinate rate because of the market-distorting buckets of cash it receives each year.

“And that’s why US airlines and pilots, flight attendants and other American aviation professionals can’t afford to have the Obama administration sit on the sidelines while the Gulf carriers violate our international agreements and take away American jobs.”

At the conference in Berlin, Qatar Airways announced a significant network expansion of 14 new destinations, including the world’s longest flight, between Doha and Auckland, New Zealand. Its rival, Emirates Airlines, launched services to Auckland at the end of last month.

It also plans to launch flights to European destinations such as Pisa Sarajevo and Helsinki, African cities such as Windhoek and Lusaka, and Asian destinations such as Krabi and Chang Mail in Thailand.

The airline also said it would recommence flights to Nice in France by summer 2017, as reported by Arabian Business last year, offering five flights per week with wide-body aircraft.

Al Baker said: “Qatar Airways prides itself on being a global connector. Qatar Airways prides itself on being a global connector, and most importantly, providing seamless and convenient connections for our customers, so that we remain their airline of choice.

“These new destinations are where our customers want to go, and where we see the most opportunity to provide a best-in-class experience at great value. We look forward to growing our network and welcoming new passengers to Qatar Airways.”