Mideast airline executives highlight stability at Farnborough despite conflict
The Middle East's aviation sector is open for business, aviation executives representing regional businesses, including Emirates' President Tim Clark, said on Tuesday, seeking to ease worries about spiralling conflict. "As long as the situation, as bad as it is at the moment, is manageable, we can still continue what we're doing," Clark told Reuters on the sidelines of the UK's Farnborough Airshow on Tuesday, adding that the airline was flying at 90% capacity and that premium cabins were full. The US hit targets in Iran for the 10th consecutive night, while Iran struck US sites in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, leaving a fragile interim peace accord signed last month in tatters. Middle Eastern carriers have seen their traffic drop since the Israel-US war on Iran began on February 28, with some cutting capacity in an effort to shield themselves from spiralling costs.But at Farnborough, regional leaders stressed that the Middle Eastern aviation business is going strong."I think the closer you are to the centre of the Gulf operation, the more normal you realise things are," said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai airports.Traffic has steadily recovered in recent weeks for many of the region's core carriers, as Emirates' Clark told Reuters the sector has to "think positive, act positive, be positive," when it comes to projecting the region's recovery.Clark added that the carrier has no plans to defer orders and that ambitions to open a new airport in the United Arab Emirates in 2032 were still on track. Griffiths confirmed that the new Dubai airport was still set for its targeted opening date.