Emirates may cash in on United’s exit

American carrier United said on Wednesday it will stop flying to Dubai in January

United’s decision now creates room for another airline to start flying, or in Emirates case, add capacity on the route because of the demand, according to Al Redha.

United’s decision to stop flying to Dubai from Washington DC next year is raising questions over their motivation, with a senior Emirates airline executive saying there is strong demand on the route.

“It is a good route, I don’t know why they want to pull out,” Adel Ahmad Al Redha, Emirates’ executive vice president and chief operations officer, told reporters yesterday at Emirates’ headquarters.

United said on Wednesday that it will drop its daily Washington DC to Dubai flight in January, blaming pressure from the fast-growing Gulf carriers and the loss of a US government contract.

“Curiously, they don’t say it was unprofitable — just less profitable,” Will Horton, Senior Analyst at CAPA — Centre for Aviation, told Gulf News by email.

United’s decision now creates room for another airline to start flying, or in Emirates case, add capacity on the route because of the demand, according to Al Redha.

“For anybody, not only Emirates, there is the demand; there is demand from Washington to Dubai,” he said.

“Seems like Washington is now a good opportunity for growth — another frequency or [an Airbus] A380,” Horton said.

United’s decision means that no US airline will fly directly to the Gulf after Delta said in October it will stop flying to Dubai from Atlanta. United has said its passengers can travel with partners Lufthansa and Air Canada.

US carriers United, Delta and America have led a campaign against Gulf carriers Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways this year calling on the US government to restrict them from adding flights to the US over allegations they are state subsidised. The Gulf carriers have repeatedly denied the claims.