Emirates airline has rejected the apology issued by Delta Air Lines in response to comments made by its chief executive Richard Anderson linking Gulf carriers and the 9/11 attacks.

In a statement carried by Wam news agency, a spokesperson for the Emirates said: "Emirates rejects the apology issued by Delta Air Lines in response to the comments made by its CEO on Monday 16th February, which intimated a link between the Gulf carriers and the 9/11 attacks.

"We believe that the statements made this week by Mr Anderson were deliberately crafted and delivered for specific effect. This brings into question his credibility as a CEO of a US public listed company, as well as the integrity of the submission which his airline has submitted to the US authorities", the statement said.