It is interesting that a commercial agreement was reached with Qatar ISO the UAE so one has to ask "What is in that agreement" and why could the UAE not have done the same. However, there are bigger forces at play here that we will no doubt never know anything about.
To get out of the mudwrestling of a few thin layered chicks around here, let’s focus back on track.
My answer to above question is that the pitiful “mine is bigger” contest between the two archaic tribes is starting to bite back. The tit for tat with Canada clearly hurts EK more than EY, who would be struggling to increase its service rapidly due to poor management. EK could and would put even more distance between the two companies if allowed, therefore the AUH influenced government decided to play dumbball and by that stall expansion to Canada. Simply imagine if the UAE airlines cooperated how they could make an impact into the NA and Europe! But having their old foe being forced to kiss their dirty feet, due to the crisis, was too much of a pleasure for some, and now they want them bent over for good. Better to have EK suffer than EY profitable. Look for example at the housing market. AUH is some X0000 units short and people shuttle from cheaper DXB which will shortly be some X0000 units oversupplied. Instead of cooperating and leveling, which would be good for the entire nation’s economy, AUH is planning to build X0000 units as fast as possible to recover the fugitives. Remember the knee jerk restriction for EY pilots not to get allowance if living outside AUH?
Canada realized this tribal tragicomedy quite easily and plays along to protect its own tragicomedy named AC. Divide and conquer at its lowest from all three sides. I don’t blame Canada, as the display of the UAE is simply pitiful. But allow me to put Canada’s argumentation and behavior at almost the same low. I would hope for a more professional appearance from the UAE. I think it was mentioned before, TC and MF would have been more diplomatic and pragmatic if they were in charge. They know about Al Baker just waiting in the nicely subsidized shadow to profit from the UAE mudslinging. But having the southern clowns mingling the matter, the pathetic cold war through the greedy and primitive press will continue for some time.