Emirates Airline highlights a return to growth during ATM 2023

Speaking on the Global Stage with renowned aviation commentator John Strickland, Clark discussed the resurgence in passenger numbers that is being witnessed by the airline industry worldwide, as well as the opportunities and challenges ahead.   

Addressing the performance of Emirates in the post-pandemic era, Clark said: “We used the period during the pandemic to carefully organise our resources and devise a solid plan which allowed us to kick-start as soon as skies opened again. After 30 years of operating the world’s largest airline and as one of the flagship carriers of the UAE, there simply was no option to sit back and stop.”  

In the last quarter, Dubai has welcomed five million visitors, already exceeding pre-pandemic numbers. According to Clark, demand will continue to be as robust as it has been recently, and the leisure and hospitality sectors will see a big uptick in the next five to 10 years.

As ATM 2023 focuses on ‘Working Towards Net Zero’ Clark touched on the airline’s sustainability strategy: “The fuel from the aviation industry accounts for 2-2.5% of global emissions. As passenger numbers grow, so must our efforts to mitigate our carbon footprint. Emirates runs a number of sustainability initiatives across the business. Our first flight using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) took to the skies in 2017 and earlier this year we operated a demonstration flight using 100% SAF.  We also recycled 500,000 kilograms of plastic and glass over the course of 2022. As far as we can, we try to offset.”