Wirraway
3rd Nov 2004, 13:58
Thurs "The Australian"
Emirates denies Auckland hub, Pacific flight plans
Steve Creedy, Aviation writer
November 04, 2004
EMIRATES had no plans to join Singapore Airlines' push for rights to fly across the Pacific and was not looking at setting up Auckland as a global hub, group managing director Maurice Flanagan said yesterday.
While Emirates continued to make competitors nervous with substantial global expansion plans, Mr Flanagan said there had been no talks with the federal Government about flying to the US from Australia.
Air New Zealand chief executive Ralph Norris raised the spectre of Emirates launching trans-Pacific flights during an Australian Competition Tribunal hearing in May and suggested it could use Auckland as a hub.
But Mr Flanagan said yesterday: "No, we're not thinking about the Pacific route.
"I think it's bit provocative because we realise how important to Qantas that Pacific route is and there's a limit to where one will to go to ask for things that might be unreasonable.
"If things change completely – say Australia went completely open skies – then all the airlines will be looking for opportunities out of Australia.
"I don't think that's going to happen."
Mr Flanagan also hit back at recent accusations by Qantas and Air France that the Dubai-based carrier is government-subsidised. "We get no subsidy from the government of any sort," he said.
"We must be the least subsidised airline in the world and we also are not protected against other airlines in the market.
"And the biggest subsidy an airline can get is to be protected against foreign competition in its own market."
Emirates has significantly increased its profile in Australia in recent years and still has ambitious plans to boost flights here. It will move to twice-daily flights to Melbourne in December and twice daily to Perth in October.
It also plans to add three flights to Sydney via Bangkok in March with another four to follow in May.
It is arguably the world's fastest growing carrier, operating services to 77 cities in 54 countries and yesterday announcing four new destinations: Seoul, Hamburg, Geneva and the Seychelles.
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Emirates denies Auckland hub, Pacific flight plans
Steve Creedy, Aviation writer
November 04, 2004
EMIRATES had no plans to join Singapore Airlines' push for rights to fly across the Pacific and was not looking at setting up Auckland as a global hub, group managing director Maurice Flanagan said yesterday.
While Emirates continued to make competitors nervous with substantial global expansion plans, Mr Flanagan said there had been no talks with the federal Government about flying to the US from Australia.
Air New Zealand chief executive Ralph Norris raised the spectre of Emirates launching trans-Pacific flights during an Australian Competition Tribunal hearing in May and suggested it could use Auckland as a hub.
But Mr Flanagan said yesterday: "No, we're not thinking about the Pacific route.
"I think it's bit provocative because we realise how important to Qantas that Pacific route is and there's a limit to where one will to go to ask for things that might be unreasonable.
"If things change completely – say Australia went completely open skies – then all the airlines will be looking for opportunities out of Australia.
"I don't think that's going to happen."
Mr Flanagan also hit back at recent accusations by Qantas and Air France that the Dubai-based carrier is government-subsidised. "We get no subsidy from the government of any sort," he said.
"We must be the least subsidised airline in the world and we also are not protected against other airlines in the market.
"And the biggest subsidy an airline can get is to be protected against foreign competition in its own market."
Emirates has significantly increased its profile in Australia in recent years and still has ambitious plans to boost flights here. It will move to twice-daily flights to Melbourne in December and twice daily to Perth in October.
It also plans to add three flights to Sydney via Bangkok in March with another four to follow in May.
It is arguably the world's fastest growing carrier, operating services to 77 cities in 54 countries and yesterday announcing four new destinations: Seoul, Hamburg, Geneva and the Seychelles.
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