Speculation on airline’s arrival

A CABIN crew recruitment drive by Emirates Airline in Cairns is a classic case of where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

It’s no secret that Cairns Airport is trying to woo a Middle Eastern carrier with the Dubai-based international carrier at the top of the list. The other airline is Qatar Airways. Emirates and the airport remain tight-lipped but Syrian billionaire investor Ghassan Aboud, who is building four new hotels or resorts in the Far North as part of a $500mplus spend, has been frank that he wants the airline to fly to the region to bring guests directly to his properties.

He has told the Cairns Post that the airport has been in talks with Emirates, and to a lesser degree, Qatar.

Emirates president Tim Clark has also spoken in previous years about Cairns as a future destination for the carrier.

Now the airline has fuelled speculation it plans flights to the Far North with a recruiting seminar in Cairns next week.

It is also recruiting in Canberra next week which suggests that possibly the airline may operate a triangular service between Dubai, Cairns and Canberra return.

Cairns would be its first regional destination within Australia. It already flies to Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth.

Emirates has a presence at Cairns Airport with its food and beverage arm, Emirates Leisure Retail, contracted last year to roll out bars and cafes at the domestic and international terminals.

The airline’s arrival in Cairns would be a game changer for international tourism.