Speaking at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai this week, the chairman of Emirates told reporters the Gulf carrier should be granted two years to respond to allegations from U.S. airlines that it received government subsidies giving it an unfair advantage under Open Skies agreements.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said the two-year timeframe is appropriate because the white paper published earlier this year by U.S. carriers, which laid out the claims, itself reflected the culmination of a two-year inquiry.
“If you want to be fair — if you’ve given somebody two years you have to give it to the other,” he said. “‘Fair skies,’ fair opportunities.”
He emphasised that Emirates has been transparent about its finances for more than two decades. “Emirates pays dividends to shareholders, including the government; we’ve been publishing our results for the past 23 years, dealing with banks and financial institutions, and participating in the market for bonds and sukuk — you name it,” he said.
Sheikh Ahmed added that any lender today will want to understand how funds are used. “Anybody who lends you a dollar has to see what you plan to do with it. You cannot simply make claims based on who you are or how large you are. The data exists and is accessible,” he said, noting that assembling the information into a clear, presentable format will take time.
“We will prove we are right and that there is no subsidy,” he said, reiterating the airline’s intention to refute the accusations through documented evidence.