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Gulf Airlines Find Canada’s Skies Less Than Open

Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways, based in the United Arab Emirates, have enjoyed incredible expansion over the past decade largely due to government backing. That growth has hit a snag, however, in an otherwise amiable destination: Canada. Citing “unhealthy competition,” in a dramatic move for the aviation industry, this week Canadian aviation officials denied the two companies the right to add additional routes and improve the frequency of flights already offered to the country. As background, the International Air Transport Association estimates that Middle Eastern airlines posted a profit of $291 million in the first three months of 2009, compared to North American carriers posting losses of $574m for the same period. This has put Canada under pressure to protect its aviation industry and is likely what led officials at Transport Canada, the country’s aviation authority, to denied the two airlines the right to add additional routes and increase the frequency of flights to preexisting routes Toronto. Read on:
http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=25951 [1]