Emirates has no plans to 'kill' European airlines

Emirates President Tim Clark stated he is in Paris to "put the record straight" on the subsidy debate which he has labelled as a concerted campaign of denigration by European airlines adding that he has no plans to "kill" Europe's airlines and the aviation industry (Dow Jones/Bloomberg, 24-Nov-2010). He added that Emirates is transparent and receives no state subsidies stating: "If anyone can ever prove we have benefited from one euro of subsidy, I will resign the next day." He also stated he is not concerned about the possibility of alterations being made to export credits. "It's not going to affect us at Emirates because we'll get our money with or without export credit agencies." He, however, stated export credit changes would hurt smaller and weaker carriers as they may find export credit becomes more expensive. Mr Clark added that the carrier's competitors are angry because they see Emirates making money on routes that they have ignored.

Emirates: "I can see China to Africa traffic on my radar screen because there's huge demand for Chinese products in Africa and huge Chinese interest in Africa's mineral wealth. Anyone who can't see that shouldn't be running an airline," Tim Clark, President. Source: Dow Jones, 24-Nov-2010.