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Emirates responds to House of Commons comments

Nov. 22, 2010, Toronto - Emirates President Tom Clark made a statement Sunday in response to comments made Friday in the Canadian House of Commons.


November 22, 2010  By Carey Fredericks

"Emirates, while respecting the views of senior members of the Canadian government, seeks to set the record straight with regard to the issues of subsidies and the potential for loss of "tens of thousands of jobs" caused by Emirates' increased presence in Canada. We have stated on many occasions that Emirates is not subsidised in any way, shape or form by the Dubai government: it never has been and never will be.

Our financial statements audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the world's largest accounting firm, confirm that there is no evidence of subsidisation whatsoever. These accounts have been made freely available to the public through Emirates' website (www.emirates.com) and they clearly demonstrate that we do not receive any direct or indirect subsidies.

With regards to the potential for "tens of thousands of jobs" losses, Emirates has difficulty in understanding this assertion.

As has been stated on many occasions in the public domain in Canada by economic experts, the evidence proves that wealth and job creation follow from an increased airline presence. Many credible groups have compiled data to show the economic multiplier effect from foreign carriers' presence in the Canadian economy.

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Emirates does not seek to swamp Canada with large amounts of capacity; in fact, a fair approach to frequency growth was the proposal recently tabled. Emirates has listened to the concerns of Air Canada with regard to market access and we can assure the Canadian government that the increased presence of Emirates in Canada will only deliver favourable benefits to the Canadian economy and in particular to the travelling public."

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