PARIS (Dow Jones)--Dubai-based Emirates Airlines defended itself from unfair competition among the global airline industry, saying it receives no state subsidies and has no plan to kill Europe's airline and aviation industry.
Emirates' President Tim Clark told a press conference Wednesday that his airline isn't worried by the possibility that the rules might change to allow airlines in Europe to benefit from export credits from European export credit agencies and U.S. carriers to obtain U.S. ExIm Bank credits to finance their purchases of new aircraft.
Calls by European and American airlines to open up export credit financing to home-based airlines has intensified in recent months as they argue that fast-growing Emirates is benefiting from an unfair advantage in being able to access official financing.
Clark said he "wouldn't be surprised" if Emirates receives its first wide-bodied Airbus A350 a year later than the originally planned date of 2014. "Airbus has a history of production issues," Clark said. Airbus recently indicated that the planned entry into service date of the new plane could slip by as much as six months from the originally scheduled date of mid-2013.
Clark said Emirates has witnessed no slowdown in advance bookings on flights operated by its 14 A380 superjumbos following a dramatic engine failure on a Qantas Airways (QAN.AU) A380 with different types of engine than those of Emirates.
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