DUBAI (Reuters) -Emirates has not seen any impact from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, but remains cautious due to ongoing uncertainty, the airline’s Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim told Reuters on Wednesday.
“Things are looking quite positive. But it’s something, again, you cannot ignore. There are so many uncertainties out there that we need to watch and monitor”, Kazim said on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market show in Dubai.
Kazim said delays in aircraft deliveries had prompted Emirates to accelerate its $5 billion fleet retrofitting programme, first announced in 2021, allowing it to maintain capacity amid surging demand and supply shortages.
“If Boeing planes had been delivered as per the schedule, we’d have had 90 aircraft flying”, he said.
Emirates, the largest airline in the United Arab Emirates and a key contributor to its economy, is the world’s biggest operator of Boeing 777 jets and one of the largest cargo carriers globally.
Asked whether Emirates would consider acquiring ordered aircraft that China may cancel in the wake of ongoing trade tensions, Kazim said each airline operates with specific design and business requirements.
“We cannot take other people’s or other companies’ aircraft for sure”, he added.
Boeing is looking to resell potentially dozens of planes locked out of China by tariffs after repatriating a third jet to the U.S. in a delivery standoff that drew new criticism of Beijing from Trump.
Kazim added that the airline expects to receive between 12 and 15 new aircraft by the end of this summer, supporting further expansion of its global network.
(Reporting by Jana Choukeir; Editing by Paul Simao)
