Emirates may restart A380 on New York route next year

Clark said that the company is also interested in expanding to other U.S. cities like Washington, Seattle, Boston and Chicago. But Clark doesn't expect the airline will add new U.S. destinations anytime soon.

"(History) has hardened us to knee-jerk reactions," Clark said.

Clark said the airline has been filling planes in other U.S. cities it serves; including Houston, San Francisco and Los Angeles. But it's kept a lid on the number of flights out of those cities because demand has been so soft.

The airline has also kept a close eye on the size of airplanes it uses at certain ports, choosing to replace bigger planes - like the A380 - with smaller ones to keep occupancy rates up during the downturn.
But the airline is still growing and Emirates' passengers numbers globally have jumped by about 21% since this time last year, Clark said.

Clark said in June that the Arab world's biggest carrier should stay profitable for the year through next March, even after its net profit last fiscal year tumbled 72%.

"The U.S. is coming along, but not as fast as Europe and Asia," Clark said.

And as demand is starting to show signs of recovery, Emirates has begun to raise fares again, Clark said, although fares are still discounted by as much as 50% on some routes.