Emirates chief defends Qantas alliance
Emirates president Tim Clark has acknowledged that the challenges faced by Qantas have held back the development of the partnership between the two airlines.
Last month Qantas unveiled a A$252 million half-year loss and is dumping about 15% of its 30,000-strong workforce.
Asked by London’s Daily Telegraph whether Clark had backed the wrong partner in Qantas, the answer was a firm "No".
"I don’t think we backed the wrong horse," he said. "The partnership is doing what we thought it would do.
"Dubai has been a beneficiary. We’ve had many Australian tourists – 260,000 in the last 10 or 11 months have stopped over in Dubai."
Clark said that Qantas has had to maintain a focus on its current challenges.
"When that happens to a relatively small group, there are other things that fall slightly by the wayside.
"I’m not saying for a moment that Alan (CEO Alan Joyce) has let our relationship between the two companies and the endgame slip, it’s just that he has got quite a tough situation on his hands."
Ian Jarrett
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