Indian carriers are exploring the opportunities to set up hubs at Dubai’s new Al Maktoum airport at Dubai World Central (DWC) as a way of getting around red tape at home.
Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline, quoted by The National newspaper, said he was open to the move.
"We can’t accommodate them in DIA [Dubai International Airport], but you can go to DWC," he said.
"Imagine an Indian carrier like Indigo or Jet or whatever – 50 aircraft on the ground.
"They feel so constrained in their own field of operations that they look at somewhere like Dubai which is unconstrained. And that’s on the table for them."
Such a move, Clark said, would signal that the Indian carriers perceive better prospects in the fast-growing Middle East aviation market than in their home country.
Speaking at an event to mark Emirates’ new US route to Boston, Clark said that the Middle East’s aviation sector will "almost go nuclear" over the coming decade.
Emirates’ own expansion plans in India have been limited by the Indian government’s rules limiting the number of seats airlines can offer in the country.
In January, the Indian aviation authorities agreed to allow the Dubai carriers Emirates and flydubai 11,000 extra seats a year – about a third of the number the two airlines requested.
