"European airlines determining how to counter growing Emirates. With Emirates expanding rapidly and showing no sign of slowing down, European airlines are looking at how to counter a carrier that has become a formidable threat.
Dubai International reported a 13.6% leap in passengers in May to 3.7 million. IATA recently noted that Middle East airlines "continue to post strong growth with connecting traffic through their hubs." It is that traffic in particular that concerns European carriers worried that growing numbers of passengers will choose EK connections through Dubai over flights offered by EU-based airlines.
KLM CEO Peter Hartman said he expects EK will face "more and more reluctance [from governments] to grant traffic rights." According to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, Hartman told Dow Jones that governments in Europe and other parts of the world are likely to become increasingly unwilling to accommodate the next phase of the carrier's expansion.
CAPA pointed to recent reports that the French government has rejected requests to grant UAE-based airlines more landing slots at Paris Charles de Gaulle. EK, Etihad and Air Arabia were seeking a total of seven new slots, but French authorities reportedly agreed to just one new service.
British Airways CEO Willie Walsh recently stated outright that Emirates' expansion represents a threat to long-haul European carriers. "It’s definitely going to have an impact on the business," he said. (Source: Air Transport World)"
No to EK!