Budget airlines ‘could be first casualties’ if Iran war drags on

• Emirates president Clark sounds warning
• Financial pressures to blame
• Clark hits back at Lufthansa

Emirates president Tim Clark has warned that weaker airlines could fail if the war involving Iran drags on, with budget carriers most exposed.

“If this crisis goes on for too long there will be casualties, likely in the budget airline sector first,” Clark said of financial pressure caused by the conflict, echoing comments by Iata chief Willie Walsh at the weekend.

Clark said Emirates would keep flying, routing passengers via Dubai to destinations including India and Australia and taking precautions such as carrying extra fuel.

The airline is also rolling out free Starlink connectivity on as many aircraft as possible, a move Clark said has boosted demand.

Clark told a news conference ahead of the Berlin Air Show that Emirates expected strong demand for flights to and from Berlin, and had renewed a decades-long push for access, lobbying successive governments since the 1990s.

The airline has secured slots at Berlin airport but still lacks approval to operate, even as it seeks broader expansion in Germany.

Further reading:

• No cuts to Turkish Airlines’ schedule, says chairman
• Emirates cuts June schedule by half a million seats
• Riyadh Air’s deal with Air India takes a long-term view

Clark also rejected Lufthansa’s criticism that Gulf carriers enjoyed an unfair regulatory advantage, saying the German flag carrier had also received state aid.

“It is a listed company, and it needs to fight its own corner without going to the government and hiding behind its skirts,” he said.

Last week Emirates rejected reports that it had cut its June schedule by almost 500,000 seats.