Emirates Airline will not seal anymore alliances in the near future following its partnership with Australian carrier Qantas, president Tim Clark has revealed.
“Not to my knowledge,” Clark said during a meeting with international airline executives this week.
The Emirates-Qantas tie-up, which launched on March 31, has been described as formidable and having revolutionised alliances in the international aviation industry.
Clark conceded it had sparked a new direction in airline partnerships towards bilateral agreements rather than global groups such as One World and Star Alliance, which are generally based on looser ties.
“The arrangement/partnership we have with Qantas [is] a reflection of the recognition among certain carriers, not necessarily alliance orientated, that things are changing a little bit, that a new alliance needs to take place,” he said.
“I’m not necessarily talking about a new order but I’m talking about a simple recognition of the fact that things have changed and we need to adjust.”
Clark’s comments at the International Air Transport Association annual general meeting appear to pour cold water on any speculation that Emirates could also join forces with German carrier Lufthansa.
Lufthansa chief executive Christoph Franz said on Monday he would not rule out a commercial tie-up with a Gulf airline.
In Dubai last month, Clark said relationships in the international aviation industry were changing rapidly and if Lufthansa modernised, Emirates would consider an alliance.
“You never say ‘never’ to any bilateral commercial agreement that can be sustained over a period of time,” Clark said.
“The way the alliance structures [and] the relationships are starting to unglue [is changing the industry]. Who would have ever have thought that Air France, one of the bastions of per-determinism with regard to the Gulf carriers would open its doors and set up a code share with, in this case, [UAE national carrier] Etihad?
“Things are changing and if you see an adaptation or a change in the business models of these legacy players then anything is possible. But as long as their business models remain as they are, and I would say I’m not being too disingenuous [by saying this], rooted in years of – decades of – practices that are still evident today, it’s very difficult for them to consider perhaps doing business with the likes of Emirates.
“But it’s not impossible, things are changing, anything is possible. And as long as somebody in Lufthansa stands up and says ‘it’s a good idea to deal with Qatar, it’s a good idea to deal with Emirates and Etihad then you may find there’s a mesh of ideas. And maybe this could be the beginnings of something.”
However, Clark dismissed suggestion Emirates could tie up with Qatar Airways after that airline’s CEO Akbar Al Baker said he was “always open” to the possibility of an alliance with Emirates.
Al Baker said the integration of the two fast-growing Gulf carriers would strength both airlines and benefit the region as a whole.
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