UAE: Flydubai Wants Compensation From Boeing And Replacement Of 737 Max

Most airlines across the world grounded 737 Max after an Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed in March. Flydubai may prefer an option of replacing its order of more than 100 Boeing 737 Max jets with Airbus A320neos.

Then further demand compensation from the US plane-maker for the loss incurred following the grounding of 14 narrow-body aircraft, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the low-cost carrier said on Monday.

Speaking at the Arabian Travel Market, Sheikh Ahmed, who is also Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, said the airline had to cancel up to 15 flights a day after grounding almost 10 per cent of its fleet.

Most airlines across the world grounded 737 Max after an Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed in March and a LionAir jet crashed last October, killing a total of 346 people.

Sheikh Ahmed did not say when flydubai would exercise the option for replacing the order nor did he reveal how much was the compensation flydubai would demand from Boeing.

The Dubai-based carrier operates a fleet of only 737 aircraft and is one of the largest Max operators having ordered 250 of the plane in November 2017 in a deal valued at $27 billion.

With so much aircraft on order, he said he couldn't sit and do nothing but needed to look at options such as the Airbus A320.

He stressed the replacement option and compensation are flydubai's rights.

We didn't ground those aircraft just because we wanted to. Even if we wanted to fly this aircraft, it would not be possible as nobody will allow it to fly within their airspace.

Sheikh Ahmed said he expects the US plane maker to improve communication with customers. We do not have a definite idea about the date when Max aircraft will be flying again.

On Boeing's claim that it is developing a software fix and new pilot training for regulatory approval to get Max recertified, Sheikh Ahmed said there was lack of clarity about those fixes and how long the plane grounding will last.

I have to see when this aircraft will be flying again and what assurances we will be getting, and how much compensation we will get. I don't want the delay to continue, he said.

On the higher fuel price and its impact on the airline's profitability, he said several other factors, including geopolitical issues, are posing challenges of all operators, but the full year 2018 results would be positive for the group. However, I would like to see oil prices at $60.

On the status on the talks with India to boost bilateral seat quota, Sheikh Ahmed said he expects to get more capacity, but did not say when a new agreement could be inked.

On Airbus 380 aircraft of the world's largest commercial jet-liner of which Emirates is the largest operator in the world, he said although its production would cease, the plane would continue to be operational for another 15 years.

We are today at 107 aircraft, it will go up to 125 before we see that some of the older aircraft come out of the fleet, he said.


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USA: Emirates Plane Quarantined At John F. Kennedy Airport After 10 Passengers Abruptly Fell Ill

An Emirates airline flight from Dubai was quarantined at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday morning after passengers became ill during the flight, the airline said.

Emirates flight 203, a double-deck Airbus A388 carrying about 500 passengers, landed shortly after 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT), according to an airlines spokeswoman.

The spokeswoman said 10 passengers fell ill on the flight from Dubai to New York.

New York media outlets had earlier put the number at about 100 passengers.

Emirates can confirm that about 10 passengers on board flight EK203 from Dubai to New York were taken ill, the spokeswoman said.

On arrival at JFK, as a precaution, they were immediately checked by local health authorities and those needing medical attention will be attended to.

She said all other passengers would be allowed to leave the plane shortly.

Officials from the Port Authority Police Department and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were on scene.

Larry Cohen, who identified himself as one of the passengers aboard the plane, uploaded photos on Twitter showing dozens of police and emergency vehicles waiting outside the plane on the tarmac.

All we have been told is that there are some sick passengers and that we need to remain on board, Cohen said.



Tourism Observer

UAE: Emirates Airline Celebrates 10 Years Of Flying A380 Aircraft

Emirates Airline marked on Wednesday 10 years of Airbus A380 operations.

Since its first flight to New York from Dubai on August 1, 2008, the Emirates A380 has carried over 105 million passengers, clocking more than 1.5 billion kilometres on 115,000 flights.

Emirates, the world’s largest operator of the A380 aircraft, has 104 aircraft of that model flying to 49 cities, with another 50 A380s on order.

Of those 50 on order, 36 A380 aircraft were ordered by Emirates in January this year in a $16 billion (Dh58.7 billion) deal.

At the time of that order, Airbus said it was committed to producing A380s for at least another 10 years following Emirates’ programme-saving deal.

The A380 model had not received orders in over two years before that, with Airbus earlier saying it would have to stop producing A380s if it did not work out a deal with Emirates.

As the Dubai-based airline marked 10 years of operating A380s, Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline, said the aircraft had a significant impact on the aerospace industry, fuelling hundreds of thousands of jobs.

The aircraft continues to boost tourism and trade wherever it flies by stimulating further traffic and demand, and we hope that it continues to play an important role in the economies and societies that it serves in the years to come, Clark said in a statement.

Emirates currently operates the world’s shortest A380 route from Dubai to Kuwait, and the longest A380 non-stop route from Dubai to Auckland, the carrier said.


Tourism Observer

UAE: Emirates Makes Profit Of $1.1 billion

The Emirates Group has announced its 30th consecutive year of profit and steady business expansion.

According to a statement from the airline in its 2017-18 Annual Report, the Group posted a profit of AED 4.1 billion (US$ 1.1 billion) for the financial year ended 31 March 2018, up 67% from last year.

The Group’s revenue reached AED 102.4 billion (US$ 27.9.billion), an increase of 8% over last year’s results.

the Group’s cash balance increased by 33% to AED 25.4 billion (US$ 6.9 billion) supported by the bond issued in March and strong sales due to the early Easter holidays at the end of March.

In line with the overall profit, the Group declared a dividend of AED 2.0 billion (US$ 545 million) to the Investment Corporation of Dubai.

Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, His Highness (H.H.) Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said: Business conditions in 2017-18, while improved, remained tough.

We saw ongoing political instability, currency volatility and devaluations in Africa, rising oil prices which drove our costs up, and downward pressure on margins from relentless competition.

On the positive side, we benefitted from a healthy recovery in the global air cargo industry, as well as the relative strengthening of key currencies against the US dollar.

We’ve always responded to the challenges of each business cycle with agility, while never losing sight of the future, and this year was no exception.

In 2017-18, Emirates and dnata delivered our 30th consecutive year of profit, recorded growth across the business, and continued to invest in initiatives and infrastructure that will secure our future success.

In 2017-18, the Group collectively invested AED 9.0 billion (US$ 2.5 billion) in new aircraft and equipment, the acquisition of companies, modern facilities, the latest technologies, and staff initiatives.

Emirates announced two significant commitments for new aircraft during the year: a US$ 15.1 billion agreement for 40 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners which will be delivered from 2022, and a US$ 16 billion agreement for 36 additional A380 aircraft, including 16 options.

dnata’s key investments during the year included: acquisition of AirLogistix USA, marking its entry in the US cargo market.

Expansion of cargo handling capabilities with new warehouses and equipment at London Gatwick, Amsterdam-Schiphol, and Adelaide; new catering facilities in Dublin and Melbourne; and new marhaba lounges in Karachi and Melbourne.

Sheikh Ahmed said: While expanding our business and growing revenues, we also tightened our cost discipline.

Across the Group, we progressed various initiatives to rebuild and streamline our back office operations with new technology, systems and processes.

In 2017-18, our reduced recruitment activity, coupled with restructured ways of working gave us gains in productivity, and a slowdown in manpower cost increases.

Across its more than 80 subsidiaries, the Group’s total workforce declined by 2% to 103,363, representing over 160 different nationalities, as part of the overall productivity improvement initiatives in Emirates and dnata.

Sheikh Ahmed concluded: Looking ahead, Emirates and dnata remain focussed on delivering safe, efficient and high quality services consistently to our customers.

Our ongoing investments in our people, technology, and infrastructure will help us maintain our competitive edge, and ensure that we are ready to meet the opportunities and stay on course for sustainable and profitable growth.

Emirates’ total passenger and cargo capacity crossed the 61 billion mark, to 61.4 billion ATKMs at the end of 2017-18, cementing its position as the world’s largest international carrier.

The airline moderately increased capacity during the year over 2016-17 by 2%, with a focus on yield improvement.

Emirates received 17 new aircraft, after last year’s record number during a financial year, comprising of eight A380s and nine Boeing 777-300ERs.

At the same time, eight older aircraft were phased out, bringing its total fleet count to 268 at the end of March.

This fleet roll-over involving 25 aircraft was again one of the largest managed in a year, keeping Emirates’ average fleet age at a youthful 5.7 years.

It underscores Emirates’ strategy to operate a young and modern fleet which is better for the environment, better for operations, and better for customers.

The airline remains the world’s largest operator of the Boeing 777 and A380 – both aircraft being amongst the most modern and efficient wide-bodied jets in the sky today.


Tourism Observer

UAE: Emirates Denies Plans Of Of Layoffs

Emirates Airline continues to hire new employees and has no immediate plans of cutting back on its existing workforce, a spokesperson has said.

The Dubai-based carrier, which operates flights to more than 150 destinations and 83 countries worldwide, also brushed aside reports on Tuesday that it is laying off “dozens” of its staff to streamline its operations.

The airline, however, confirmed that it has cut back on recruitment of additional personnel, as it utilises existing human resources to maintain its operations.

The Gulf carrier is letting go of “dozens” of its workers, including cabin crew, administration and IT personnel.

The job cuts were reportedly implemented in the last few weeks and affected workers holding middle and upper-level positions.

The career section of the airline’s website, however, showed a number of vacancies opening up in different departments in UAE.

Newly opened roles include global contact centre manager, sous chef, stores and inventory control manager, IT senior support engineer, regional catering manager and technical manager, among others.

There is no change in staff turnover rates in the past weeks, and no programme to reduce headcount, the airline said in a statement .

We continuously review all areas of our operations as part of good business practice, including department structures and roles. This is no different from previous years.

A spokesperson for Emirates said that as the airline prides itself in having a 103,000-strong workforce, the “dozens of employees” reported to be leaving the company over a few weeks is nothing unusual.


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UAE: Emirates To Serve Iftar Meals In Flight During Ramadan

Emirates is to provide passengers with some home comforts during Ramadan, Emirates will be offering special iftar meals to passengers of all cabin classes.

According to a statement issued by Emirates, the special meals will be available to passengers on select Emirates flights, including flights to and from the Gulf region, as well as on flights catering to Umrah groups travelling to Jeddah and Medina during Ramadan.

We are pleased to offer our customers a signature Iftar service during the holy month of Ramadan, across all cabin classes.

Our Iftar service will be available on select flights, including flights to and from the Gulf region as well as on flights catering to Umrah groups travelling to Jeddah and Medina during Ramadan.

This year, Emirates’ iftar boxes feature an Arabesque design inspired by the region, and will provide those observing Ramadan a convenient way to break their fast with a nutritious and balanced meal.

While catering to a global palate, the iftar menus will also feature a Middle Eastern flavour.

The Iftar box includes options such as za’atar chicken with hummus, spinach fatayer, halloumi cheese and cucumber sandwiches, and traditional sweets such as maamoul and dates, as well as yoghurt.

Menus will be refreshed mid-Ramadan.

“Emirates utilises a unique tool to calculate the correct timings for imsak,the time to commence fasting and iftar while in-flight,” said the airline in a statement.

The tool calculates the exact Ramadan timings using the aircraft’s longitude, latitude and altitude; ensuring the greatest level of accuracy possible while on board. When the sun sets, the captain will inform passengers of the iftar time.

This tool was developed to supplement Emirates’ annually produced booklet on the timings for Ramadan, available on every flight.

Emirates SkyCargo has operated its freighter aircraft from Birmingham airport as part of a new service for the transportation of Jaguar Land Rover cars to Chicago. The cars are being delivered for further testing.

The freighter service is part of Emirates SkyCargo’s specialised offering, Emirates SkyWheels, to transport high value automobiles.

Emirates SkyCargo said in a statement it has seen huge demand from customers around the world for transportation solutions for specific products, which is why the business launched offerings such as Emirates SkyPharma, Emirates SkyWheels, and Emirates SkyFresh.

An expansion of Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport has been delayed by a year until 2018, the airport’s operator said on Wednesday.

Currently Dubai’s second-largest airport, it will have the capacity to handle 26 million passengers a year when the expansion is complete.

Al Maktoum airport opened in 2013 and can currently handle about seven million passengers a year. Its expansion has been delayed due to the completion of construction and to allow time for trials and testing, a spokesman for Dubai Airports said.

The Dubai government said on Sunday that it had secured $3 billion in long-term financing for expansion of its airports, which are forecast to serve 146.3 million passengers by 2025.

Al Maktoum International, located on the edge of Dubai, is being gradually ramped up to take over from Dubai International Airport, currently the world’s busiest and home to Emirates airline.

Dubai Airports’ Chief Executive Paul Griffiths said in January that budget carrier flydubai would move its operations from Dubai International to Al Maktoum International in the third quarter of this year.

Emirates airline is slated to move to Al Maktoum International in 2025.

A Dubai Airports spokesman said it aims to expand Al Maktoum further to handle 240 million passengers a year but that there was no date yet for when that would be.

This year, passenger traffic across Dubai’s two international airports is expected to reach just over 90 million in 2017, the spokesman said.

Chinese Tourists Spending Grows Worldwide

The number of Chinese tourists traveling abroad has risen from 10 to 83 million in just 10 years and may reach more than 100 million in 2014, becoming the first country in the world in terms of travelers and overtaking the USA and Germany for the first time, declared the China National Tourism Administration.

This number is expected to increase at an average annual growth rate of 10% until 2020, according to Rajiv Biswas, chief economist for Asia Pacific in IHS Global Insight. This growth is due to efforts undertaken by China’s government to allow a larger number of Chinese people to benefit from China’s economic development.

Many Chinese have begun to travel abroad in recent years. Chinese people consider travels as “entertainment”, “pleasure” and relaxing experience.

Most Chinese will select a package organized by a travel agency to avoid potential problems in a place that is unknown to them. They are curious but remaining cautious. They spend an hour or two at the selected location to take pictures and listen to the guide, then hurry to leave for their next destination.

In more and more countries, Chinese tourists are the biggest spenders, as confirmed by experts. About 87% of the total expenditure of the average Chinese traveller are devoted to fashion items such as shoes and handbags, and 93 % of purchases are made in and around the French capital.

This craze for shopping is due to two main factors: a booming economy in China, and a price differential of the taxation of luxury goods in China.

In France, Chinese tourists spend on average 40% of their budget once there in shopping. Expenditure exploded with a 40%-increase between 2011 and 2012, thanks to a more favorable exchange rate and higher wages.

By 2030, expenditure is expected to increase from 260 billion to 1.800 billion dollars.

Chinese people rarely travel alone, but rather with family or friends. The pleasure of being in a group is one of their main pleasures when they travel. Nowadays, there is still a majority of Chinese people who prefer traveling in a group (55%).

However, for some time, the opposite trend is observed: more and more Chinese people are tempted to travel alone. Independent travelers rate is expected to increase from 30 to 70% of the total Chinese tourists number this year, creating a huge demand for various services in tourism.

Young, rich and educated Chinese people increasingly want to travel alone, in their own way.

A lot of China’s leading tourism service providers like Travelzoo, Ctrip and Qunar have already launched personalized services, daily access passes to visit a city, discounts on airline tickets, hotel stays or reductions to eat at the restaurant and so on and so forth, and new products in order to develop the upward trend of Chinese people traveling alone.

Below are top destinations for Chinese tourists

Australia
France
New Zealand
USA
Switzerland
Singapore
Hong Kong
Taiwan
UK
Canada

Australia, France and New Zealand are the leading destinations for Chinese tourists today. However, reality is not the same.

Chinese tourists are more used to travel to destinations which are closer, like Thailand, Japan, Malaysia or South Korea.
However,France still attracts Chinese tourists

France, the world’s leading tourist destination, with almost 82 million foreign tourists in 2012, continues to attract more Chinese tourists and remains one of their favorite destinations, especially Paris.

Why do Chinese tourists like France so much? Thanks to its cultural wealth and diversity. France is well-known in China: French companies have been located in China for a long time; its gastronomy and its history are renowned.

However, only 1.4 million Chinese tourists (80 million total) visited France in 2011, in accordance with the statistics of the INSEE.

A factor for economic growth and for support of domestic demand in France

The arrival of this new type of client is a windfall for France and a good way to support economic growth and domestic demand. “Tourism is a huge economic driver to encourage an economic growth based on domestic demand”, declared José-Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission.

Actually, France is the world’s leading tourist destination but is only in 3rd place in terms of gains, just behind the United States and Spain , according to World Tourism Organisation. That is the reason why welcoming tourists famous for being big spenders is crucial for France.

The arrival of this new type of client raises problems: major tourist sites in France are already saturated with visitors from all over the world. Therefore, welcoming Chinese tourists is a challenge which requires adaptation, adjustment and reorganization.

The issue is a major one because, even if French competitive advantages are obvious, Chinese tourists must have value for money. However, France is usually part of tourism packages which organize a roundtrip in Europe. France must preserve Chinese’s interest for Paris, Loire castles, Mont St Michel, which are already saturated and may be discouraging.

The problem isn’t with accommodation and hotel offering, but rather with France’s industrial policy. It is necessary to set up a real industrial policy to respond to market needs. It is obviously impossible to enlarge national historic and touristic monuments. France should focus its efforts on management of tourism flows, opening hours and quality of tourist guides.

Air transport sector also requires adaptation. Some airlines have realized it: for instance, in view of the fact that Chinese tourists spend a lot and hate being limited in shopping, Emirates Airline has increased the weight limit of luggage.

There are many investments to do in tourism infrastructure, but these investments will be difficult to finance in the current budgetary context, according to a member of the tourism Bureau.

UAE: Emirates To Launch Triple Decker Plane Featuring A Swimming Pool, Games Room, Gym And A Park

Emirates Airline is all set to launch another game changer, if we are to believe the Dubai-based airline.

One of the world's leading airlines just unveiled plans for a commercial aircraft with jaw dropping - almost unbelievable - facilities.

On Friday midnight, Emirates took to Twitter to announce its plans to launch the world's largest commercial plane, a triple-decker 'APR001', featuring a swimming pool, games room, gym and a park!

However, aviation enthusiasts and flyers, who like to travel in style, will have to wait since this 'larger than life' is nothing more than an April Fool's Day prank by Emirates.

But then who is to say what the future hold for the future of aviation. Until then, enjoy Emirates' current world class facilities the next time you fly with them.

Besides Emirates, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways - to name a few - attempted to prank people by announcing a plane with 'flaps' and a Corgi Class.

In a statement issued by Virgin Atlantic today, the airline spoke about its new innovation, the 'flapenergy':

After nearly 30 years of offering customers the ultimate long-haul flying experience, Virgin Atlantic and its founder Richard Branson are once again breaking barriers by announcing a world first in aircraft innovation.

Almost a decade in the making, Virgin Atlantic has today announced that its world-class engineering team have been secretly working on the design and production of the world's first-ever aircraft using new patented technology - flapology - to create the world's first aircraft with flappable wings.

Named the Dreambird 1417, the new aircraft has been inspired by the innovative engineering of a bird in flight and its flapping wing. The Dreambird 1417 boasts wings that bend and flex to create a flapping motion that not only propels the aircraft forward but generates its own power to meet every electronic need onboard.

The flamboyant Sir Richard Branson, President of Virgin Atlantic and popular prankster said:

"Birds are the ultimate flying machine and it's been a lifelong ambition of mine to harness their energy and apply it to a passenger aircraft. Engineers all over the world have been trying for years to mimic a bird in flight and thanks to the perseverance and dedication of the team at Virgin Atlantic, we've finally succeeded. Not only have we harnessed this but we've also created a faster, cleaner more self-sustaining aircraft."

But Virgin Australia took their April Fool's prank further by 'unleashing' cabin crew of dogs, aptly called - Canine Crew:

USA: Trump Travel Ban Sparked Confusion, Chaos And Protests At Airports, Will Negatively Affect Tourism

President Trump's ban on travelers from seven majority-Muslim countries could have a chilling effect on U.S. tourism, global business and enrollment in American universities, say a cross-section of legal experts and travel advocates.

While the orders are temporary, these voices say the policy could have a long-term impact.

“There’s a real potential negative impact, even after the 90- or 120-period is over, from a travel point of view,” said Thomas M. McDonnell, a professor at Pace University’s law school, who is an expert in international law. “If you were a Muslim from Saudi Arabia, which is not included in the list, you might say, ‘Gee, should I really go to the U.S. with Trump as president? Who knows what might happen.’”

Trump's sweeping executive order suspends U.S. refugee resettlement for 120 days and halts anyone traveling from Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Iran, Somalia, Libya and Yemen from entering the United States for the next 90 days.

The administration says the move will allow them to review and establish stronger vetting standards in an effort to beef up travel security and prevent terrorists from infiltrating the U.S. Officials also argue that those directly affected by the ban reflect a small minority.

The seven countries outlined in the executive order don’t crack the top 20 travel markets to the United States, according to the U.S. Travel Association.

But the ban sparked confusion, chaos and protests at airports over the weekend, creating uncertainty throughout the travel industry.

Tourism and travel advocacy groups say it’s too early to quantify the actual impact of the executive order, but acknowledge it’s important to strike a balance between security and free travel.

“In this case, it’s a limited universe of people directly affected, but carries with it not inconsequential fall-out potential when it comes to reputational risk and sending an unintended message,” said Jonathan Grella, executive vice president of public affairs for the U.S. Travel Association.

“People will be understanding and forgiving when security is your motivation, but if they are left with other takeaways that leave the impression that they’re not welcome here, than that’s obviously a different story.”

Trump’s new policy prevents immigration and non-immigration visa holders from those seven countries from entering the United States for the next 90 days, which McDonnell said includes those wanting to travel to the U.S. to visit their family or conduct business trips.

An Oscar-winning Iranian film director who directed a movie nominated again this year, for example, would not be able to attend the Oscars unless provided with an exception.

“If you’re from Iraq and you want to visit your family here during this period for a few weeks or a month, there’s absolutely no way you’re going to be able to get in,” McDonnell said.

“Let’s say you’re a business person - and there’s lots of business between the U.S. and Iraq - if you’re not an American citizen or green card holder, you’re not going to be able to come in.”

Dubai-based Emirates airline has had to adjust which employees it puts on U.S.-bound flights in order to comply with the new restrictions. Airline stocks plunged more than 4 percent Monday in the wake of the ban.

The impact of the executive order could be more far-reaching, though.

Foreign students may be discouraged to enroll in American universities amid the uncertainty. Several colleges are advising foreign students and scholars who might be impacted by the ban to avoid traveling outside of the U.S. until there is more clarity about the policy.

And industries that have a diverse workforce, particularly in technology, transportation and healthcare, may see their foreign workers decline in the future. Multiple news outlets reported that nearly 200 Google employees belong to countries included in the ban, with Google CEO Sundar Pichai expressing concern it will create obstacles to bringing good talent to the U.S.

“I’m concerned about the economic ramifications across our economy, from tech to travel to agriculture and our defense industry,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said. “They’re all potentially at risk.”

Some advocates worry that the executive order will make the visa process slower, since Trump suspended a program allowing some applicants to get a temporary visa without a formal interview.

Experts also say it’s possible that countries affected by the ban could impose similar restrictions on the U.S. in retaliation, thus creating hurdles for American tourists and visitors hoping to travel abroad as well.

“It’s going to have long-term, negative consequences for business, tourism and students,” McDonnell said. “It creates a lot of uncertainty… and it affects our reputation in the Islamic world.”

USA: Emirates Lands At Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Emirates Airlines' inaugural flight EK213 to Florida touched down at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Thursday at 10.50am local time (7.50pm Dubai time) marking the 154th destination in Emirates’ global network.

The 16-hour-and-a-half flight that was nearly full, took off at 3.30am Dubai time early Thursday morning becoming the 11th gateway to the USA — and the second to Florida — complementing Orlando that was launched last year, according to Hubert Frach, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, West.

Addressing journalists from Florida, a fleet of reporters from the UAE media, VIPs and members of the aviation authorities in Fort Lauderdale, Frach said: “At Emirates, we’re proud to be global connectors of people, places and economies. Today’s flight carried passengers from North America, the Far East, the Middle East, South Asia, the Asian subcontinent and Africa – a powerful demonstration of that point.”

Emirates launched its 11th destination in the United States with the start of a daily non-stop passenger service between Dubai and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport [FLL].

“In fact," said Frach, "it is the first scheduled commercial service from the Middle East in the airport's history. Our new daily service to Fort Lauderdale will significantly enhance South Florida’s commercial and cultural connections. Emirates is proud to connect people across the globe and today’s inaugural flight illustrates the reach of our global network and the potential tourism and trade opportunities of our daily service."

The launch of the historic route, he said, "will allow us to offer Emirates' unique product and award-winning service to passengers flying to and from South Florida to our home in Dubai,” Frach told a press conference shortly after the landing at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Meanwhile Mark Gale, CEO and Director of Aviation in Florida, said FLL is proud to welcome Emirates, one of the world’s premiere airlines to Broward County.

“This new service to Dubai, and ultimately to the rest of the world, will provide our community with tremendous business and travel opportunities. With an estimated annual economic impact to our region of more than $105 million and approximately 1000 new jobs as a direct and indirect result of Emirates arrival, we are confident this new service will mark the beginning of many more great things to come,” he said.

The new service operates as flight EK213, departing from Dubai International Airport at 3:30am local time and arriving at FLL at 10:55am.

EK214, the return flight, departs FLL at 8:20pm, and arrive in Dubai at 7:40pm the next day, with a flying time of 14 hours and 20 minutes.

Present at the event was Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief, who said FLL is one of the fastest growing airports in the US, servicing more than 29 million passengers this year.

“We are proud to partner with Emirates Airline as together we make history by offering the first non-stop flight service from South Florida to the Middle East and beyond. Broward County is a leading destination market for tourists and an economic hub for businesses large and small. We have recently invested $2.4 billion to expand and renovate our airport to insure world class service now and in the future,” she said.

Fort Lauderdale is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States thanks to its abundant sunshine and temperate weather.

Emirates To Get Support Of Arik Air

Arik Air yesterday said it was ready to support Emirates Airline and would be able to assist with accommodating Emirates passengers from various Nigerian destinations , including Abuja.

This, the airline said was to re-affirm its partnership with Emirates Airline in view of their recent decision to suspend their Abuja service.

This revelation was made yesterday by Arik Air’s Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), Mr. Suraj Sundaram . According to Sundaram, “Arik Air and Emirates have a long standing partnership through an interline agreement since 2011 which enables Emirates passengers to have access to the entire Arik Air network for connections to and from within Nigerian destinations and to other West African countries.

“This means Arik Air would be able to fly Emirates passengers from various Nigerian destinations (including Abuja) and other West African markets to Lagos for onward connection to the Emirates service from Lagos to Dubai.”

He said that “Arik Air’s interline agreement with Emirates Airline has increased the travel choices for customers from Nigeria and West Africa to travel to various global destinations offered by the Emirates network.

Such partnership also allows Emirates passengers to tap into Arik Air’s strong network that currently serves 18 destinations in Nigeria and 10 West and Central African destinations,” he said.

Africa Faces Invasion From Powerful Gulf And China Airlines

Africa is tipped to be one of aviation’s hot spots over the next 10-20 years. Growth rates are already strong, as increasing numbers of countries on the continent expand economically and develop a middle class.

But commercial aviation in Africa is still constrained by a combination of poor infrastructure, restrictive visa regimes and protectionism. Which makes it difficult territory in which local airlines can grow.

Although the size of the continent means that flying is the obvious way to get around, there has traditionally been a lack of intra-African services.

For many years, this has meant that getting from, say, one capital in Central Africa to another in West Africa has meant travelling – incredibly – via Paris. France was the colonial ruler of large swathes of western Africa and many countries retain French as an official language.

There are relatively few large carriers based in Africa – South African Airways, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian are some of the majors – that have sizeable regional networks.

But, just as the growing African economy should be giving those carriers a boost, they find that outsiders are eating their lunch.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is the Persian Gulf’s ‘Big Three’ – Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways – that are fast becoming major players in Africa, deploying their ever-growing capacity to soak up passengers. Increasingly, those passengers are being sucked into the seemingly insatiable maws of the hubs in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha. Just this year, the three Gulf carriers have launched, or will launch, services to Algiers, Bamako, Entebbe, Dar-Es-Salaam, Durban, Zanzibar, Accra and Mogadishu. They are also increasing frequencies or up-gauging aircraft on several African routes.

While this undoubtedly increases choice for African passengers, there are signs that it is starting to stress local carriers. In July, Kenya Airways cited competition from the Gulf carriers as one reason behind an annual net loss that spiralled from around $33 million in 2013-14 to $275 million for 2014-15.

And perennially loss-making South African Airways has been trying for some months to strengthen its relationship with Emirates, on the basis that ‘If you can’t beat them, join them.’ It also has a codeshare with Etihad.

Gulf airlines are also stepping up their cargo services into the continent. Again, West Africa is a particular target, but in early August Qatar Airways launched a specialized freighter service into Djibouti. The tiny northeast African nation has big ambitions to become the main logistics hub for that part of the continent and is the latest destination for Qatar Airways’ fast-expanding cargo arm, which already has regular dedicated freighter flights to six other points in Africa.

And as well as the Gulf carriers, indigenous African airlines may also be facing a new threat from China. China Southern has inaugurated a Guangzhou-Nairobi service, while earlier this year Air China announced plans to start routes from Beijing to Addis Ababa and Johannesburg. And the huge HNA Group, parent to Hainan Airlines, has a controlling stake in Ghana’s Africa World Airlines. The Chinese government is believed to be keen also to have domestic airlines initiate services to Africa. China, of course, has been pouring investment into Africa for some years, mainly to buy up minerals and other raw materials to feed its booming economy, so the Asian nation’s desire to add direct air services to the source of many of its business interests is understandable.

But it creates yet another problem for those African carriers seeking to carry their nation’s name further afield.

UAE: Emirates Enhances Connectivity To Russia With S7 Deal

Emirates and Russian carrier S7 Airlines have enhanced their partnership which is set to improve connectivity and benefits for customers across Russia.

Emirates and S7 Airlines have been in an interline partnership since 2003 which was further enhanced in 2008.

The new codeshare deal further builds on this strong partnership and sees the Emirates code added to more than 30 routes operated by S7 Airlines across Russia as well as on S7’s twice weekly service between Dubai to Novosibirsk.

It also allows S7 to reciprocally put its code on the Dubai to Moscow route operated by Emirates.

The new agreement allows Emirates customers to connect seamlessly through Moscow to a range of destinations: Anapa, Astrakhan, Barnaul, Chelyabinsk, Irkutsk, Kaliningrad, Kazan, Kemerovo, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Mineralny Vody, Nizhnekamsk, Nizhnevartovsk, Nizhniy Novgorod, Noviy Urengoy, Novokuznetsk, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Perm, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Sochi, St. Petersburg, Stavropol, Tomsk, Tyumen, Ufa, Vladikavkaz, Volgograd, Voronezh and Yekaterinburg.

The extended partnership also creates a direct link under Emirates’ code between St. Petersburg and Moscow, allowing visitors to experience Russia’s two largest cities with a single travel itinerary.

Thierry Antinori, Emirates executive vice president said: “Our new codeshare agreement with S7 Airlines provides our passengers with increased choice, flexibility and ease of connection to different cities within Russia from Dubai, ultimately offering a smoother, more convenient travel experience.”

Based at Domodedovo Airport, S7 Airlines operates flights to more than 80 cities from its Moscow hub. Emirates customers travelling on any of the 30 or more S7 codeshare routes will enjoy the same luggage allowance they are entitled to on their Emirates flight and have the convenience of a single ticket.

All Emirates’ passengers on S7 operated flights will receive boarding passes on check-in at their first departure point for all connecting flights, providing a seamless travel experience.

Anton Eremin, S7 group deputy chief executive, said: “This new codeshare agreement with Emirates is an exciting development for S7 customers.

“It provides them with convenient, seamless access to Dubai and onwards to the rest of the world through Emirates’ extensive route network, direct from their local airport.”

UAE: Emirates To Fly Direct Dubai-Auckland

Emirates has launched its first non-stop service between Dubai and Auckland, one of the world’s longest scheduled flights, bringing 39 European destinations and another 38 in Africa and the Middle East within just one stop of New Zealand.

And to celebrate the milestone, the first service was operated with a double-decker A380 rather than the Boeing 777-200LR that will regularly fly the route.

“This is an important development for our customers, for Emirates, and for New Zealand.

“We anticipate high demand for the route, providing a further boost to inbound tourist traffic into New Zealand that now exceeds three million a year.

“We also expect the service to be popular with New Zealanders seeking faster connections to Europe and the Middle East,” said Gary Chapman, president, group services, Emirates Group.

Emirates’ new service will bring New Zealand much closer to destinations in Europe and the Middle East than at present, with an estimated flight time of just under 16 hours from Dubai to New Zealand and 17 hours, 15 minutes in the other direction, cutting journey times by almost three hours each way.

Tourists, in particular, will now have more options - travelling to Auckland with a stopover in Australia on one of the award-winning airline’s three daily A380 services, flying non-stop direct into Auckland on the Boeing 777-200LR, or flying to the South Island on the daily Boeing 777-300ER Christchurch service.

In command on the A380 flight deck was New Zealander Andrew Duncan Mcfarlane and the cabin crew included several New Zealanders.
Emirates employs nearly 400 New Zealanders, including 140 cabin crew and 95 pilots.

With the introduction of the non-stop service, Emirates will fly more than 2,000 seats a day in each direction on New Zealand services.

UAE: Emirates Appoints Khalid Al Haddad Vice President

Khalid Al Haddad appointed as vice president for KSA, Bahrain, Yemen.

Emirates Airline announced three appointments to its senior management team for key operations in Saudi Arabia.

Khalid Al Haddad has been appointed as Emirates vice-president for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Yemen. He joined Emirates Airline in 2003 and has worked as regional manager for Levant, and manager for the Northern Emirates, among other positions.

Rashid Al Ardha has been appointed Emirates regional manager for west Saudi Arabia, and Rashed Al Fajeer has been appointed as district manager for Dammam.

Global Conservationists Fight Illegal Trade In Wildlife

Global conservation, transport and logistics organisations have banded together to tackle the illegal trade in wildlife – an industry that is estimated to be worth US$19 billion (€17 billion).

The United for Wildlife transport taskforce has agreed on measures to combat the illegal wildlife trade. These include the sharing of information; adopting practical measures to stop the transportation of illegal wildlife products; and a common determination to tackle the illegal trade, according to online magazine Supply Management.

“We all need to work together to tackle the issue and only by partnership can we succeed for the long term. Promoting greater awareness and vigilance within the maritime sector, port operators, customs organisations, customers and suppliers, and encouraging greater co-operation are key,” DP World chairman, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, was quoted by Supply Management as saying.

Other members of the task force include the International Air Transport Association, Emirates Airline, Kenya Airways, Maersk, COSCO Container Lines, DHL and the World Customs Organisation.

UAE: MidEast Grows In Private Jet Charter Business

It seems that all the major players in the private jet industry view the Middle East as their primary market for future business expansion. First there was VistaJet’s acquisition of Bombardier's private jet service business in the Middle East, then Dubai's Emirates Airline launched its luxury private jet service to secure its leadership position. Now, Private Jet Charter (PJC), one of the world’s largest independent private jet charter brokers, wants a piece of the pie.

After becoming increasingly popular as more people opt for private jets in order to bypass security and check-in procedures at airports, PJC announced ambitious plans to expands its market in the Middle East.

PJC has a network of offices in the UK, Nice and an established presence in the Middle East through its base in Dubai and presence in Jeddah.

According to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) the US makes up 49.7 percent of the global market for private jets, Europe holds 20.8 percent, Asia Pacific 11.8 percent, Latin and South American 11.6 percent, while the Middle East and Africa currently represent 6.1 percent.

Hugh Courtney, founder and CEO of PJC stated that that the Middle East holds a larger potential for private jet business compared to more developed regions, mainly due to the fact that the service industry in this region is still developing.

The company provides its clients with 24-hour service throughout the year, multilingual and experienced staff members, flight watch monitoring on all executive air charter flights and state-of-the-art aircraft sourcing technology.

PJC is an ISO 9002- certified company with 23 years in the aviation field and currently provides executive jets, helicopter charter, VIP and corporate aircrafts, and a dedicated medical evacuation aircraft.

Sir Maurice Flanagan's Proud Legacy As A Founding Father Of Emirates

The next time you find yourself tucking into a shepherd’s pie at an Emirates Airline event, or in one of its luxury lounges, you may be forgiven for thinking the hearty dish is not a meal you would traditionally associate with a Dubai-based carrier.

The urban myth goes that Sir Maurice Flanagan, the airline’s former executive vice chairman and one of its founding executives, who died in May this year, was a fan of the lamb and potato-based dish and made it a standard part of the menu across its network and at official functions.

It is not the only legacy Sir Maurice has left with the airline. While performing his national service in the British Royal Air Force, he suffered an injury and damaged the ligaments in his knee, ending an aspiring career as a footballer with his beloved Blackburn Rovers. While it ruled him out of playing on the pitch, he brought his passion for sport to the airline and was instrumental in its push to raise its international profile through headline-grabbing sponsorships.

To this day, Emirates has been linked to the likes of English Premier League club Arsenal, Germany’s Hamburger SV, France’s Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, Real Madrid, the New York Cosmos, the FA Cup, the FIFA World Cup, Formula One and many sporting events across cricket, horse racing, tennis and rugby.

It is likely Sir Maurice played a hand in the fact the airline is the shirt sponsor of the Lancashire County Cricket Club, his home team.

Sir Maurice originally came to Dubai in 1978 to take on the role of director and general manager of Dubai’s aviation services provider dnata. Speaking earlier this year about why he had been selected for the position, he credited his time at British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), which gave him an understanding of every facet of the airline travel industry.

“They needed someone with all-round experience to bring dnata — which had grown from 200 to 2000 staff in the 1970s, yet still had a system set up to deal with 200 staff — up to date,” he said. It certainly was a daunting challenge at the time; the emirate was unrecognisable from the lavish skyscraper cityscape it is today.

Sir Maurice recalled that, when his wife first saw the dnata offices in 1978, she asked quite anxiously what he had got himself in for. His reply was: “I’ve come for the way it’s going to be”.

Under his guidance, dnata’s growth accelerated. “Dnata, at that time, was in many ways quite advanced, a step ahead. It was already building the infrastructure needed for an airline centre. Over time, it became much like an airline, which is why — when the time came — it was possible to launch Emirates in such a short time frame.”

A little under six years after he moved to Dubai, Sir Maurice was in the UK celebrating the holidays — and his 30th wedding anniversary — with his family when he received a phone call saying he needed to get back to Dubai soon, as the emirate’s young Crown Prince, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, was talking about starting an airline.

Sir Maurice recounted how Gulf Air — which was owned by the governments of Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Abu Dhabi — wanted Dubai to join the aviation group and were asking Sheikh Mohammed to declare Gulf Air as Dubai’s flagship carrier, giving it access to more international traffic.

The deal would have meant “the UAE would have been entitled to half of Gulf Air”, but Sir Maurice said Sheikh Mohammed preferred to go it alone. “The reason it was turned down was [because] Dubai had open skies, and it has been crucial to Dubai’s growth.Sheikh Mohammed said: ‘By the way, gentlemen, I’m starting my own airline’.”

With all the recent war of words from American carriers over the open skies arrangements in the US and allegations Emirates has received subsidies, Sir Maurice was always a loud and colourful distracter to what he called “the conspiracy theorists” who continued to claim Emirates was subsidised by the Dubai government.

“In fact we have had $80m in cash in kind since the start of the airline... That’s absolutely peanuts compared to whatever other national carriers have had,” Sir Maurice said as far back as 2010, during our first sit-down interview with Arabian Business.

“What does Etihad get every year?” he added. “I was given $10m by Sheikh Mohammed in 1985 and told don’t come back for any more, or subsidy of any kind, or protection of any kind.”

Sir Maurice also refuted allegations the carrier does not pay taxes and highlighted the fact that, unlike its competitors, Emirates incurred social costs of around $600m each year. “They say we don’t pay taxes. Of course we pay taxes. Dubai is a city, not a country; we pay municipal taxes. We incur social costs these guys don’t have to think about. Full family medical service, free furnished accommodation for pilots, cabins crew and managers.” Sir Maurice also added that “every year we have paid more than $100m in dividend to the owner of the company”.

As a Knight of the British Empire since 2000, Sir Maurice served his country and his company for decades and the expertise and insight he gained meant he was not afraid to speak his mind on a wealth of hot topics. On the issue of regional dominance, Sir Maurice was happy to let Qatar Airways and Etihad fight over the second place spot, remaining adamant there was only one clear dominant player in the Middle East: Dubai’s Emirates.

“Our [setup] is quite different from both of them,” he said. “There was an imperative as we knew we couldn’t go back if we lost money... We had to make money, so we had to be economical and the business model was very efficient.”

When setting up Emirates, Sir Maurice said one of the most difficult things to change was the attitude to the chain of command and tradition of having a bulging executive class.

“How many people were reporting to managers? No deputy managers or any of that sort of thing... That was one of the hardest things I had when I was setting up the airline.”

He said he believed “the basic principle is still there” and that is why Emirates had not needed government subsidies. “We are just a better-run airline,” he said in his typically direct fashion.

Emirates has delivered billions of dollars to the Dubai government exchequer in the form of dividends over the decades, but Sir Maurice admitted he had given some thought to whether a time would come when the airline might be sold, especially during periods when Dubai needed capital to dig itself out of its mountain of debt. “But I wouldn’t like to see it happen,” he said in 2012.

As recently as January this year, Sir Maurice said the airline would be worth $40bn if it went public, but an initial public offering [IPO] was unlikely as it did not have much support within the government. “That’s been hanging around for ten years, at least, to my knowledge. I think Sheikh Mohammed doesn’t like the idea,” he revealed.

“It would be good in some ways because if it went public they would have to publish more statistics — but actually Emirates is one of the most transparent [airlines] in the industry. But if it went public, it would be very, very clear that Emirates is not subsidised and there are no advantages from the government. It’s treated just like any other airline that is in Dubai. That would become rather more clear,” he said.

The figure of $40bn is nearly four times what it would have been worth in 2012, when it was previously mooted. “Emirates has just overtaken Delta as the second-biggest airline in the world, by all the usual measures,” Sir Maurice said in January. “The only bigger one is the combination of American and United. They’re too big. Airline economies of scale go in reverse after a certain point.”

For this reason, Sir Maurice was always adamant Emirates should pursue a solo path and was in no hurry to follow Etihad’s lead and enter into alliances or buy up stakes in smaller carriers.

“We would never dream of it,” he said, when asked if he saw Emirates ever joining Oneworld or Star Alliance. “You have to compromise too many things, including the IT system, to conform with theirs and that is the nervous system of the business…. You just wouldn’t do that.”

While he did not rule out code-sharing arrangements, Sir Maurice said Emirates’ acquisition of a 40 percent stake in SriLankan Airlines in 1998 was quite a negative experience and not one he believed Emirates should be in a rush to repeat.

“Absolutely not… It eats up an enormous amount of senior management time. They want you to develop that airline to be like Emirates... To do that, you have to base staff there and have senior managers going to and fro… It’s just not worth it,” he said. The Dubai airline pulled out of its management contract with SriLankan in 2008 and sold its stake in the airline two years later.

Emirates, did however, sign a partnership with Australian national carrier Qantas, which came into effect in March 2013. That saw Qantas move its Singapore hub to Dubai and the airlines now codeshare on more than 30 routes, including Australian domestic services operated by Qantas’ low-cost airline Jetstar.

Gaining additional landing rights was the top obstacle Sir Maurice forecast for Emirates’ future growth. Having suffered setbacks in securing landing rights in Germany and Canada, he placed much of the blame on one culprit: German carrier Lufthansa.

“Lufthansa hates us with a passion,” he said of Europe’s second largest carrier. Emirates has been looking to acquire further landings rights in Germany since 2004, and Sir Maurice was of the opinion the Dubai airline would eventually secure the extra routes as there was sufficient market demand.

“[Lufthansa] can’t touch us in Germany as the government seems to quite like us. Berlin is asking for us; Stuttgart is asking for us and we’ll get them sooner or later,” he said.

Of course, he’s not the only Emirates executive to accuse the German carrier of trying to undermine it. Sir Tim Clark, Emirates’ president, told Bloomberg in 2011, Lufthansa’s “mantra is to take the Gulf carriers down”.

As well as creating obstacles in Germany, Sir Maurice also frequently accused Lufthansa of encouraging the government in Canada to block Emirates’ bid for more landing rights to Canadian cities, in order to encourage Canadian passengers to continue using Frankfurt as their main hub for travelling east.

Similar to the situation in German cities, Sir Maurice claimed “there is so much support [for Emirates] from the cities and the provinces,” across Canada.

“The market is there for double daily to Toronto, double daily to Vancouver and daily to Calgary. We are limited to three nights a week to Toronto… The pay master of Air Canada is Lufthansa. It is a stupid thing for the government to do; it is neglecting the economy. Look at Australia: same size population as Canada but we have 70 odd flights a week to Australia and traffic rights for 80. We will build up to those and the Australians can see the economic benefit of that,” he said in 2012.

Emirates began life as a start-up in 1985 — with one Airbus A300 and a Boeing 737-300 leased from Pakistan International Airways and two routes to Karachi and Mumbai — but Sir Maurice was proud of how far the daring project came in three decades.

“We cover practically everywhere you care to mention now… With the aircraft we have, we can connect any two points in the world, from east to west and north to south.”

Speaking during one of his last appearances, earlier this year, Sir Maurice joked that “if I was on BBC’s Mastermind my chosen subject would be aeroplane types and I would do quite well at that”. In reality, Sir Maurice did more than just “quite well” when it came to growing Dubai’s airline from scratch 30 years ago.

USA: Are Gulf Carriers Harming American Jobs?

US airlines reported their 22 consecutive monthly growth in full-time employment in September, despite continued allegations the growth of Gulf-based carriers into the market was a threat to American jobs.

Full-time equivalent employment (FTE) at US scheduled passenger airlines increased 3.3 percent year-on-year in September, according to figures from the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).

The increase was the highest monthly total since September 2008 and represents nearly two years of consecutive monthly job growth for the US airlines.

“The four network airlines that collectively employ two-thirds of the scheduled passenger airline FTEs reported 3.6 percent more FTEs in September 2015 than in September 2014,” the BTS was quoted as saying.

The data debunks one of the key sticking points as part of an ongoing war of words between the major US carriers and their Gulf rivals. US carrier, including Delta, American and United, through the Partnership for Open & Fair Skies, have asked the US government to open consultations with Qatar and the UAE to address the issue of government subsidies being given to the Gulf carriers, which they claim total $42 billion. Dubai's Emirates Airline, Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways have all strongly deny the subsidy claims.

“While the Obama administration ponders, the Gulf carriers are rapidly expanding into US markets, harming American aviation jobs and jeopardising vital air service to small and mid-sized communities,” Jill Zuckman, chief spokesperson for the Partnership for Open & Fair Skies, claimed earlier this month.

“It’s time for President Obama to get personally involved and enforce our bilateral agreements. The administration needs to stand up for American workers and American businesses and stop the governments of the UAE and Qatar from gaming the aviation marketplace.”

As part of the partnership’s submission to the US government, it claimed that well over 1,500 American jobs are lost for every daily international roundtrip flight a US airline is forced to cut.

However, reports showed that when Dubai’s Emirates Airlines started its service to Orlando, Florida, it helped create around 1,400 local jobs in the area.

Official BTS figures also showed that US carrier which had codeshare agreements with the Gulf carriers, such as JetBlue and Alaska Airlines, reported year-over-year job growth of 11.2 percent and 9.9 percent respectively.

USA: United Airlines Ends Flights To Dubai, Because Of Over Subsdised Gulf Carriers

United Airlines is ending its service to Dubai, saying the rapid expansion of “subsidized” local carriers and the loss of a government contract is forcing it to end its nonstop route from Washington Dulles.

The carrier’s last flight on the route will be the return from Dubai on Jan. 25.

“Even though we successfully operated the Washington-Dubai route for the past seven years, the entry of subsidized carriers such as Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways into the Washington, D.C. market has created an imbalance between supply and demand to the United Arab Emirates,” United says in a statement detailing its exit from the market. “As they’ve added subsidized capacity, our Washington-Dubai route has become less profitable.”

United's move follows a similar move by Delta, which announced in October that it would end its Atlanta-Dubai route in February. Like United, Delta blamed what it described as excess capacity from the Gulf carriers for making its route unprofitable.

As for United, it also pointed to a decision by the federal government to award the U.S. government contract for flights on the Dubai-Washington route to JetBlue. JetBlue does not fly the route, but its codeshare partner Emirates does. JetBlue is able to sell tickets on Emirates’ flights thanks to a codeshare partnership between the carriers.

In its statement, United estimated that Emirates “will be carrying an estimated 15,000 U.S. government employees, including active duty military personnel, whose official travel is funded by U.S. taxpayers."

“It is unfortunate that the GSA (General Services Administration) awarded this route to an airline that has no service to the Middle East and will rely entirely on a subsidized foreign carrier to transport U.S. government employees, military personnel and contractors,” Steve Morrissey, United’s Regulatory and Policy Vice President, says in United’s statement.

“We believe this decision violates the intent of the Fly America Act, which expressly limits the U.S. government from procuring commercial airline services directly from a non-U.S. carrier. For the Washington to Dubai route, JetBlue merely serves as a booking agent for Emirates,” Morrissey adds.

JetBlue spokesman Doug McGraw confirmed to Today in the Sky that the airline had been chosen as the government’s contract carrier for the route, adding: "The GSA awards contracts that deliver the best value to the U.S. taxpayer and JetBlue is honored to have this traffic with Emirates, our codeshare partner."

United, of course, has also been part of broader effort by the three big U.S. airlines to push back against the rapid expansion of the three big "Gulf carriers" that include Emirates and Eithad of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar's Qatar Airways. United, along with Delta and American, has alleged that the three state-owned carriers receive unfair subsidies that allow them add capacity that outstrips demand that can be served profitably.

"For months, we’ve been speaking out about the ways unprecedented government subsidies to Etihad, Emirates and Qatar Airways distort competition and threaten U.S. airline jobs," United added in its statement. "We continue to call on the Obama administration to request consultations with the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to ensure Open Skies agreements are being enforced."

All three of the Gulf carriers have vigorously denied the allegations of the big three U.S. airlines. And several big U.S. airlines have rallied in support of the Gulf carriers. Perhaps unsurprisingly, JetBlue is among that group, which also includes Hawaiian Airlines.

JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes said that subsidy complaints by the three largest U.S. airlines against three rivals in the Middle East are unjustified, and an attempt to prevent more competition on lucrative European routes.

“If you pore through the legacy carriers’ filings with a critical eye, it’s clear many of their arguments against the Gulf carriers just don’t pass the straight-face test," JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes said in October while speaking at the International Aviation Club in Washington. "What is indisputable is that the legacy carriers have failed to prove that they’ve suffered any harm.”