Here's some comments from Maurice Flannigan of EK:
Next up in Flanagan’s firing line is Air Canada and the Canadian government, which he believes is stuck in the past.
“They are still there politically in the 1960s. I can’t understand that. The market is there for double daily Toronto and double daily to Vancouver and certainly daily, going to double, to Calgary.
“We are [only] allowed three a week to Toronto and that is all protection to Air Canada [but] what good has that done to Air Canada? Look at the state they are in,” he says.
“I know of no other country that thinks in those terms. It is to protect Air Canada, I can’t see any other reason. Just open the skies and let us in — that is the answer. It will be great benefit to the Canadian economy.”
As part of its lobbying to the Canadian government, Emirates released a study in March concluding that Canada could reap economic benefits of around $466m a year and create 2,800 jobs if it was given the flying slots it is demanding.
However, Air Canada has accused Emirates of wanting to “flood” the Canadian routes in order to divert passengers through Dubai. Calin Rovinescu, CEO of Air Canada, the country’s biggest airline, said that allowing Emirates to increase its capacity would be “severely damaging” to Canadian airports and airlines.
The rest of the article can be found here:
Plane talking - Transportation - ArabianBusiness.com
Flame Away!!