Emirates’ Clark sees profitable future once Gulf crisis subsides
Emirates boss Tim Clark said he expects the carrier to become the “most profitable airline” in the world by the end of this year, despite disruptions from the Iran war, pointing to its history of restoring operations quickly and a ready supply of jet fuel.
“What we have found is that whenever we’ve been through these traumas before, the strength of demand [remains] so strong,” Clark said in an address to the the Centre for Aviation’s Airline Leader Summit in Berlin on Thursday.
He added that Emirates had “earned our skills” more than any other because “We’ve been subjected to all sorts of things over the last 20 to 30 years.”
Clark’s bold tone amid a growing crisis in the global aviation sector can partly be explained by Emirates’ ability to access the UAE’s plentiful fuel supply, giving it a competitive edge over many airlines in Europe and Asia, which are facing shortages.
“Frankly, we’re not that concerned, [as] we’ve got adequate supplies over here [in the UAE]. We produce and refine our own Jet A-1 fuel,” Clark said.
Emirates is now operating at more than 65% of its capacity and Clark said it would only take one to two months to restore operations to normal once the conflict was resolved.
He said the airline continued to refine its offerings and was working on upgrades to First Class cabins, including adding ensuite bathrooms.