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“A year of red ink” at Emirates Airlines says president Sir Tim Clark
May 25th 2021
Emirates Airline president, Sir Tim Clark, told the recent Arabian Travel Market virtual summit the 12 months to March 31, 2021 – the company's financial year – had been "a year of red ink" due to COVID-19. Read More » However, Emirates was "a lot further on and much better than we thought we would be at this time", Sir Tim said, because strong cargo demand had offset declines in passenger revenue. Sir Tim predicted the post-pandemic recovery would gather pace in the next six months as more people received the COVID-19 vaccine. "If we do it right - like vaccines are scaled, there is equitable rollout, testing regimes are simplified and costs cheaper – all this lends to the theory that by the end of the year we will be back in business at summer scale,” Sir Tim forecast.
On the delayed 777-X program, he said Emirates would not accept an aircraft that came in below contractually agreed performance levels. The Dubai-headquartered carrier had been scheduled to receive its first 777-X last year. Sir Tim said the airline now expected first delivery of the type in 2024. Boeing’s website shows Emirates has ordered 115 777-Xs.
