Lufthansa "to take Gulf carriers down"

German carrier Lufthansa is trying to undermine the business model of its rivals and wants to take Gulf carriers down, said Emirates airline president.

Tim Clark told Bloomberg News that “their mantra is to take the Gulf carriers down, as well as dominate the markets they sit in.”

He said Emirates will “re-engage” with the German government over the slots issue before the summer and is hopeful it “will see sense.”
Quoting an Emirates spokesperson, The National daily said on Tuesday that the airline’s expansion will result in prosperity in Germany and the world economy.

Clarke said that Lufthansa has so far succeeded in lobbying to prevent Emirates from obtaining landing slots in Stuttgart and at the new Berlin-Brandenburg International airport, which is scheduled to open in June next year.

Emirates currently flies to the German cities of Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich, whereas Lufthansa, which has full traffic rights, according to Clark, offers only on a single route from Frankfurt.

“It has taken European carriers donkeys’ years to adapt their business models to the changing dynamics of global civil aviation. They haven’t been able to align their traffic flows to what is going on, whereas we have,” Bloomberg quoted Clark as saying.

Lufthansa spokesman Peter Schneckenleitner said traffic rights are negotiated between governments, not airlines, and that his company has no influence over decision making.

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