Emirates’ Tim Clark warns European Airlines on Mideast comeback

Emirates President Tim Clark lashed out at European rivals, saying it was a “little bit sad” to see them taking advantage of their Middle Eastern counterparts’ current weakness.

Emirates, alongside Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways, was forced to cut back operations since the start of the conflict with Iran, amid airspace closures, drone strikes on airport infrastructure and a dramatic reduction in inbound tourism to the Gulf. Some airlines, including German flag carrier Lufthansa, have used the opening to push for more capacity in Asia.

“My message to all of them: Be careful what you wish for, we will be back very hard and fast,” Clark told journalists ahead of the ILA Berlin air show, adding that Emirates had “no intention of cutting back, reducing or anything else.” 

Despite facing challenges from the conflict, Emirates has a ready supply of jet fuel in the UAE, giving it a significant advantage over many global airlines amid soaring oil prices driven by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. 

Clark also made a plea for “free and open access” to more European markets, including Berlin, where Emirates has long sought to be granted a slot.

“We have brought enormous economic wealth to Germany just by virtue of what we’ve bought… We have very compelling reasons to be allowed to go to Berlin,” he said.

Emirates will soon face a new rival closer to home. Riyadh Air, which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, will operate its first commercial flight, bringing forward the launch of its London route, after it received its third Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on Sunday.

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.

Emirates’ Clark warns Trump tariffs threaten aviation industry

Emirates President Sir Tim Clark, who has run the Middle East’s biggest airline for two decades, says the UAE carrier can handle the costs of new U.S. tariffs.

Still, Clark told CNBC in an interview that the Trump administration’s “trade reset” could disrupt global commerce, with China’s tariffs on U.S. aerospace firms potentially raising costs for Emirates’ wide-body fleet.

“Business models like Emirates, given the international scope of what it does, the strength of what it does, will be able to ride this particular wave,” he said.

Clark said the aviation industry, however, remains in “uncharted territory” as U.S. tariffs are expected to drive up airline costs. “Right now, we are in troubled times,” he said.

Emirates to upgrade aircraft as Boeing deliveries remain stalled

Waiting impatiently on the tarmac for troubled Boeing to deliver its long-delayed 777X aircraft, Dubai’s Emirates airline plans to spend $5 billion on upgrading its current stock.

Emirates President Tim Clark outlined the UAE carrier’s 2025 growth plans on Wednesday and told reporters that refitting 220 planes was critical to maintaining the airline’s standing among the best in the industry.

“We have no choice,” Clark said, ticking off the names of competing airlines that are upgrading their fleets. He said Emirates is not optimistic about the Boeing 777X deliveries arriving as scheduled for this coming October.

While Boeing struggles, industry-leading Airbus is pushing for a closer relationship with the UAE, rolling out plans to manufacture components and establish a regional maintenance hub in Abu Dhabi for its A400M military transport aircraft.

Elsewhere in the Gulf, Qatar Airways is addressing renewed demand from Syria by increasing the frequency of flights to Damascus as the country emerges from more than a decade of civil war, Bloomberg reports.

Most airlines halted flights to the Syrian capital while violence flared across the country. Qatar Airways was the first national carrier to relaunch flights to Beirut after a cease fire was reached between Israel and Lebanon in November.

Emirates President Tim Clark says Boeing crisis is far from over

Emirates President Tim Clark says in a round of interviews that the crisis at Boeing is far from over and the U.S. planemaker needs to do more to address customer concerns.

For starters, he says Emirates should receive billions in compensation for delays in the development of Boeing’s latest 777 jet, Arab News reports.

Clark’s concerns carry clout given that his airline is the biggest buyer of both Boeing and Airbus widebody aircraft.

“For me, this will be a five-year hiatus starting from now,” Clark said in an interview with Bloomberg.

As a result of the manufacturing issues and delays on new widebody aircraft at the planemaker, Emirates is putting more of its Boeing 777 aircraft through an extensive retrofit program, Clark said.

That has raised the cost of the program to about $3.5 billion from previously $2 billion, he said.

Clark also advised that Boeing pick a strong CEO grounded in engineering and business to replace the departing Dave Calhoun.

The Emirates chief also said he’s certain that airfares are going up. “Unfortunately, but that’s the way it is,” he told CNBC.