Hands Solo
Not sure what your beef is with EK especially your comment about State backed. Well, if you mean it's owned by the state, you're basically correct. It's owned by the government of Dubai, this being it's major shareholder. The government is to all intent and purpose the Dubai Royal family.
However, Emirates Airlines is not subsidized by the state. Your post implied it is. It's self sufficient and has made a profit every year bar one. Taxes? No, but the Company must provide accommodation to all as well as transport to and from work. Maybe not the same overheads but different and present nonetheless. Whether those profits it makes are indeed on the back of non unionized cheap labour from Third World Countries is another matter and for discussion on another forum.
If we're are talking government aid, Did BA accept the profits from Concorde when it was operational having been given them by the UK government......for free. Stones and glass houses!
Harry