Emirates’ Struggles with India’s Aviation Policies
Emirates Airline has long been a dominant player in global aviation, connecting millions of passengers worldwide. However, according to Emirates President Tim Clark, the airline faces significant hurdles when it comes to expanding operations in India, one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets.
Clark has openly expressed his frustration over traffic rights restrictions imposed by the Indian government, limiting Emirates’ ability to increase capacity to the country. Despite India’s massive population of 1.2 billion people and a rapidly growing middle class eager to travel, Emirates has been unable to expand its operations there for the past decade.
Speaking at a roundtable meeting in Berlin on March 5, Clark stated:
“For 10 years we were not able to increase capacity to India; India therefore [became] less important to us.”
This limitation has led Emirates to shift its focus to other regions while continuing to operate its existing routes to India.
Why Is India Limiting Emirates’ Growth?
Clark believes that India’s reluctance to allow Emirates to expand its operations stems from government efforts to protect its national carriers. With Air India now privatized, Vistara merging with Air India, and IndiGo expanding aggressively, Indian authorities appear to be prioritizing the growth of domestic airlines over foreign carriers.
“It’s a loss to India [that] Emirates is not able to expand operations there,” Clark stated, highlighting how Emirates’ absence in a larger capacity could impact India’s aviation sector.
Despite the restrictions, Emirates continues to operate 167 round-trip flights per week between Dubai and several Indian cities, including:
• Mumbai (35 weekly flights)
• Delhi (28 weekly flights)
• Hyderabad (21 weekly flights)
• Chennai (21 weekly flights)
• Bengaluru (21 weekly flights)
• Kochi (14 weekly flights)
• Kolkata (11 weekly flights)
• Ahmedabad (9 weekly flights)
• Thiruvananthapuram (7 weekly flights, daily service)
While these numbers reflect a strong presence, the inability to add more flights means Emirates is missing out on significant revenue opportunities in one of the world’s most lucrative aviation markets.
Emirates’ Expansion Beyond India
With restrictions in India, Emirates has focused its growth on other markets that are more welcoming. Clark pointed out that many countries have open skies agreements with the UAE, allowing Emirates to operate freely.
For instance, Argentina has given Emirates full access to its market. Clark mentioned a direct conversation with Argentina’s President Javier Milei, who reportedly told Emirates:
“Do whatever you want—just come.”
Similarly, Emirates’ brand strength and reputation have made it a preferred airline for many governments in South America, where expansion opportunities continue to grow.
In a lighthearted remark, Clark joked that the only place left for Emirates to expand is the Moon, emphasizing the airline’s global ambition and the increasing limitations of Earth’s aviation markets.
Strengthening Partnerships for Growth
Despite challenges in certain regions, Emirates has leveraged partnerships with other airlines to strengthen its global network.
United Airlines Partnership
One of Emirates’ most notable recent collaborations is with United Airlines, a founding member of Star Alliance. Since March 2023, United has been operating Boeing 777-200ER flights from Newark to Dubai under a codesharing agreement with Emirates.
Clark praised United CEO Scott Kirby for pushing through the partnership despite past rivalries between Emirates and United’s allies.
“I think [United CEO] Scott Kirby and his team [realize] that [with] all that we talked back in the gray days of the walls between us, they got a lot of volume out of cooperation,” Clark noted.
This collaboration has strengthened Emirates’ position in the North American market, allowing it to connect more passengers to the Middle East, Asia, and beyond.
Flydubai Partnership
Emirates has also continued to work closely with Flydubai, another UAE-based airline. While the two airlines have different branding and operate separately, their partnership helps increase connectivity to destinations that are not feasible for Emirates’ larger aircraft.
Clark highlighted how Flydubai recently added three new destinations in Iran, a market where Emirates’ aircraft are too large to operate efficiently. He also hinted at Flydubai acquiring Boeing 787s in the future, further strengthening the Emirates-Flydubai alliance.
The Future: Dubai’s Superhub Expansion
As Emirates continues to expand globally, the airline is preparing for a major transition to a new hub at Al Maktoum International Airport (Dubai World Central).
Clark revealed that operations at the new airport are expected to begin between 2032 and 2034. The UAE government is investing $50 billion into the superhub, which will be one of the largest and most advanced airports in the world.
“In early 2030, it will be ready. But from completion, commissioning, testing, etc., it takes 1.5 years.”
In the meantime, Dubai International Airport (DXB) continues to handle a massive volume of passengers, with numbers expected to reach 120 million annually in the coming years. In 2024 alone, DXB handled 92.3 million passengers, highlighting its status as one of the busiest airports in the world.
Conclusion
While Emirates continues to face barriers in expanding its presence in India, the airline remains one of the most dominant global carriers, successfully expanding into other markets and strengthening key partnerships.
With its collaborations with United Airlines and Flydubai, its growth in South America, and the upcoming transition to a state-of-the-art superhub, Emirates is well-positioned for the future—even if some markets, like India, remain challenging.
As the global aviation landscape evolves, Emirates will likely continue to push for open skies agreements, ensuring its place as one of the world’s most influential airlines. Whether India eventually opens its skies further to Emirates remains to be seen, but in the meantime, the airline is making the most of opportunities elsewhere.
