DUBAI: Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Group, yesterday said that the carrier will not delay any of its orders for new aircraft through at least 2011, and will post a profit even as the global recession drags down global air travel.
Sheikh Ahmed made the statement as four-day Arabian Travel Market opened in Dubai yesterday. Emirates expects to take delivery of 17 new planes in the fiscal year that began last month. Sheikh Ahmed said the airline is sticking to billions of dollars worth of plane orders and expected to post a profit for the 2008-9 financial year despite the global downturn.
He added that he had never held any discussion to merge his airline with Abu Dhabi’s Etihad.
Emirates has also signed a contract to partner with Marriott International, the leading multibrand hotel company.
Meanwhile, James Hogan, CEO of Etihad, said: “We remain committed to our long-term plans and this year alone we will launch seven new routes and will receive 11 new aircraft. A downturn is exactly the time when an airline needs to demonstrate its commitment to the very highest standards of excellence.”
Akbar Al-Baker, CEO, Qatar Airways, which is planning six new routes in 2009 and is receiving new aircraft on an average of one per month, said the global tourism industry remained resilient despite the current economic climate. He added that the Middle East aviation industry was the only sector experiencing significant growth with capacity and passenger figures rising.
Some other regional tourism industry heads, who are attending the Arabian Travel Market, also remained optimistic about their continued growth in spite of harsh global economic conditions.
Salim bin Adey Al-Mamari, director general of Tourism Promotion at the Oman Ministry of Tourism, said the region needed to enhance intra-country cooperation and voiced what he sees as a pressing need to promote the GCC region as a single, multiexperience destination.