United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Emirates touches a nerve with QF
The escalating friction between Qantas and Emirates went up a notch yesterday with Qantas Chairman Margaret Jackson entering the debate with a well aimed return of serve to Emirates boss Tim Clarke.
“To suggest that Emirates is competing on similar terms as commercially-run airlines like Qantas is, quite frankly, fiction,” she said.
Jackson said government ownership provided a sovereign risk rating that allowed Emirates to carry debt levels far higher than publicly listed carriers such as Qantas.
She said Emirates paid no company tax in Dubai, and its chairman, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, was a member of the ruling family and head of the Dubai Department of Civil Aviation, which ran Dubai Airport.
“As Qantas has observed before, life must be wonderfully simple when the airline, government and airport interests are all controlled by the same people,” Jackson said.
“No one can be in any doubt that Emirates’ remarkable growth reflects the aggressive and coordinated strategies of its owners, the government of Dubai, to build a world class hub to grow tourism and business,” she said.
Jackson also remarked that any airline could grow and be profitable if it had the same “government sponsored” benefits as Emirates.
Of course, some would argue that Qantas has long enjoyed a “government sponsored” environment and may just be feeilng increasingly nervous at the prospect of Emirates and others using the new super class of airliners to erode its long haul profitable routes.
The Mole
Related News Stories:
Graham Muldoon
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail
Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
Robert Terrell: A Journey Through BB King’s Influence
Rochelle Hicks: Celebrating Mississippi’s Musical Legacy
Exploring Jacksonville with Katie Mitura: The Flip Side of Florida
Dozens fall ill in P&O Cruises ship outbreak
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
Boy falls to death on cruise ship
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Storm Lilian travel chaos as bank holiday flights cancelled