There’s a glimmer of hope that Canada will resume open-skies negotiations with the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.).
Emirates Airline Canadian manager Don McWilliam said Thursday that he had a short conversation with Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird Wednesday in Toronto after Baird was the featured speaker at a Canadian Club lunch.
“He had indicated his counterpart in the U.A.E. and him are now talking,” McWilliam said. “There is a good dialogue and discussion, which there wasn’t before, so we’re quite encouraged. We’ll just sit back and let the politicians do what they do.”
Bilateral talks to expand Emirates’ thrice-weekly Toronto-to-Dubai service and launch a Vancouver-to-Dubai route crashed in 2010 as a result of opposition from Air Canada.
The U.A.E. retaliated by ordering the Canadian Forces to vacate Camp Mirage near Dubai and slapping visa restrictions on Canadian visitors. Canada’s exports to the U.A.E. in 2010 were $1.138 billion.
The breakdown disappointed Vancouver International Airport Authority and the British Columbia government officials after wining and dining Emirates executives at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
In the meantime, Emirates is launching a daily non-stop Seattle-to-Dubai flight on March 1. The Boeing 777-3R service will include eight first-class individual cabins, 42 business-class seats and 304 in economy. Round-trip fares start at US$1,148.
Nigel Page, Emirates’ senior vice-president of commercial operations for the Americas, remains optimistic about Canadian expansion.
“Whenever you link two cities together, business expands at a tremendous rate,” Page said.
“It means businessmen are immediately encouraged with non-stop service to explore what is there and the opportunities are enormous in the U.A.E.”
Page said the Seattle service will appeal to British Columbians seeking passage to India because Emirates flies from Dubai to 10 destinations on the subcontinent. The airline will name a Western Canada general manager next week.
Meanwhile, Emirates and Seattle-based Alaska Airlines forged a frequent flyer partnership Thursday, announcing a reciprocal March through May double miles launch promotion.
Bob Mackin