DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—The man in charge of the Middle East’s biggest airline, Emirates, said Tuesday he is pressing ahead with a global expansion that could include more U.S. routes despite opposition from American carriers who accuse the airline of having an unfair advantage.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates’s chairman and CEO, said in an interview that several American cities have asked Emirates to launch routes connecting them with its ever-expanding hub in Dubai.
He declined to name the potential destinations, citing competitive reasons and confidentiality agreements, but said the Dubai government-backed carrier is looking to accommodate the requests “in a very short period of time.”
“We always learn we cannot stop, and this is really the direction of the UAE government and the Dubai government. The minute you stop, somebody will pass you,” he told The Associated Press in Dubai. “In terms of expansion, we will continue.”
Emirates plans to release its annual financial results Thursday. Sheikh Ahmed suggested that international currency fluctuations have offset some gains from lower oil prices but he said that overall “it’s been an excellent year.”
