Emirates has said that it is not planned to bidding for India’s national carrier Air India as there are “difficulties” to entering the country and that the Middle-Eastern airline lacks the management bandwidth to go out of its “comfort zone.
There’re quite a lot of trade rules and difficulties to enter any market in India, Adel Ahmad Al Redha, COO, Emirates told on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “As far as an investment (in Air India) is concerned, there’s nothing yet on the table.”
Emirates’ strategy is to focus on their home country, according to the company’s Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim. “The time you enter equities (overseas) you tend to go away from your home comfort zone that you have in terms of policies that you have and so many other things that today you have control over.”
The government recently finalized the draft norms for inviting expressions of interest to sell Air India—which is saddled with USD 8 billion in debt—after its first bid to sell the national carrier failed.
But expanding services in India isn’t off the book for Emirates. India, which can offer more opportunities because of the size of its population, should allow free access to its market, according to Kazim.
“We’re sitting on restricted bilateral (ties). This restriction that we live with, unfortunately, is hitting even the Indian carriers,” he said. Adding that there are “major” opportunities for the United Arab Emirates and India, Kazim said, adding that opening up of the bilateral agreement will benefit both the nations.
I would say if we double the capacity, we will not be enough. That’s the kind of bilateral we need to look at, Kazim added.
(Source: Bloomberg Quint)
To get travel updates directly on your mobile, save and send a message at 9461777617 on Whatsapp to start.
Also Read, The 2020 List Of The World’s Best Airlines Is Out Now
