Dubai's Emirates supports 104K US jobs, contributes $21bn in revenue
A recent report by aviation consultants says that Emirates has supported more than 104,000 American jobs and contributed US $21.3 billion in revenue to the US economy, reports ArabianBusiness.com.
Released on the 25th anniversary of the first Open Skies agreement signed by the US, the objective of the Campbell-Hill Aviation Group study was to quantify the annual economic impact Emirates has on the US economy in 2015, a statement said.
The report said Emirates brought more than 580,000 new travellers to the US who otherwise would not have travelled there, and generated $3.2 billion of new trade-based revenue.
Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates, said: "Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines and their proxies continually pour money in to lobby and make unfounded accusations against Emirates, but they have never filed a formal US Department of Transportation complaint against Emirates, even though this is the statutory process long relied on by US airlines to address allegations of unfair competition.
"That itself is telling. Sitting on record profits and with employment in US aviation at an all-time high, the three carriers know they don’t have a leg to stand on. Evidence repeatedly points to the benefits that Emirates bring to US consumers and the economy, and the total absence of alleged competitive harm.”
Clark added: “Campbell-Hill’s data reaffirms the significant stimulative effect of Emirates’ operations on the US economy.
"It shows we’ve brought hundreds of thousands of new travelers to the United States, helped increase competitive air transport options for over a million American and international travelers who flew with us, and contributed to increased demand for US exports in aerospace and many other sectors.”
Dr Brian Campbell, principal at Campbell-Hill Aviation Group, said: “Our research shows how Emirates’ presence in the US and the air connectivity it provides generates significant economic growth by increasing the free flow of international travel and trade.”
Since launching its initial service to New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport in 2004, the airline today flies more than 135 weekly passenger and cargo flights serving 14 US gateways.
Emirates also purchases more US-based Boeing 777 wide-body aircraft than any other company in the world and has 163 Boeing 777 aircraft in its fleet and another 171 on order.
Bloomberg news recently reported that Emirates is set to undergo staff layoffs across departments, from senior cabin crew to the support department workforce including administration and IT, after almost half a decade of rapid growth.
However Emirates refuted that claim and said in an email exchange with HotelierMiddleEast.com: “There is no change in staff turnover rates in the past weeks, and no program to reduce headcount. We continuously review all areas of our operations as part of good business practice, including department structures and roles. This is no different from previous years. Recruitment has slowed down as we streamline our operations, introduce new technologies, and find ways to better deploy existing resources internally. However, we continue to hire for critical roles.”