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Emirates flying at 90% capacity despite regional conflict, says Tim Clark
At UK's Farnborough Airshow, Clark said that the carrier has no plans to defer orders and that plans to open a new airport in the UAE in 2032 were still on track
- PUBLISHED: Tue 21 Jul 2026, 9:10 PM
[Editor's Note: For the latest updates on how US-Iran hostilities have escalated since a 14-point deal was signed on June 17, follow the Khaleej Times live blog.]
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 amid regional conflict.
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"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 per cent 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 on Tuesday, leaving a fragile interim peace accord signed last month in tatters.
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Last week, Europe's aviation safety regulator extended an advisory to avoid the airspace in the region to July 29, while Air France-KLM on Monday suspended flights to and from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and to Dubai until July 27.
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.
'Think positive, act positive, be positive'
Airline analyst John Strickland highlighted that the region had weathered many crises in the past, but it was unlikely that airline profits would remain untouched.
"It'll hit the bottom line, of course, it has an impact," Strickland told Reuters. "They will want to have their hatches battened down as much as they can to avoid cost loss when things are tough, and get back to profitability."
Qatar Airways cancelled its attendance at the show after the death of former Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.
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 UAE in 2032 were still on track. Griffiths confirmed that the new Dubai airport was still set for its targeted opening date.
Many of the major regional carriers have already secured substantial aircraft orders over recent years. Their presence at the show is therefore more reflective of strategic priorities and the maturity of their fleet planning than any change in confidence or growth ambitions, said Marc Nichols, partner and global aviation sector co-chair at DLA Piper.