Emirates Airlines frustrated by Ottawa rebuffs 
Refusal to let Emirates boost Canadian service at odds with Harper's, trade stance, exec says
Feb 28, 2009 04:30 AM
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Bruce Campion-Smith
OTTAWA BUREAU CHIEF
OTTAWA – Andrew Parker says he's got a surefire plan to create several hundred jobs in Toronto, pump tens of millions of dollars into the region's ailing economy and boost flagging tourism numbers.
Best of all, he doesn't need any government handouts to make it happen, just the approval of the federal transport department.
But despite months of asking, that hasn't happened.
Parker is a senior vice-president at Emirates Airlines, a fast-growing airline that for more than a year has been rebuffed by Ottawa in its attempts to increase flights from Dubai to Pearson, as well as start service to Calgary and Vancouver.
The airline, which now flies three times a week to Canada, all of it to Toronto – the most allowed under the current air agreement – has so far been denied permission by Transport Canada to begin daily service.
The refusal comes even as Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been publicly lecturing other nations about the dangers of trade protectionism, warning sternly that closing national borders to foreign investments will only worsen the economic downturn.
"There is a slight disconnect between very strong policy, which is progressive ... versus the technical reality. It is frustrating," Parker said this week in an interview from Dubai, where Emirates is based.
"It is far better for economies to be liberal, to be open, to be welcoming of new investment," said Parker, who looks after public, government and environment affairs for the airline. "We are surprised and a little frustrated that at the department level we haven't been able to convince them."
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority, which runs Pearson airport, says that allowing Emirates and its competitor, Etihad Airways, to increase flights to the United Arab Emirates would produce an economic windfall – more than 500 jobs, $20 million in salaries and $13.5 million in tax revenues.
"We're never going to be a giant replacement for manufacturing, but these are important, high-end, good-quality jobs that, particularly in the current climate, I think are needed," Parker said.
The airline has garnered some high-profile supporters to its cause, including the City of Toronto and Queen's Park.
"By promoting tourism, enhancing trade and generating new investment in the Toronto region by UAE firms, the expansion will provide jobs for Canadians both inside and outside of Toronto," Toronto Mayor David Miller wrote then-transport minister Lawrence Cannon.
This week, Transport Minister John Baird said he has met with the UAE ambassador in Ottawa and that he wanted to hear from officials at Emirates, even though they've already made repeated representations to the department.
Transport Canada has told airline executives that six flights a week split between Emirates and Etihad are enough to serve the route.
Parker argues that growing ties between Canada and the UAE more than justify an increase in service. He says 15,000 Canadians now live in the Gulf nation, several hundred Canadian companies have offices in Dubai and trade is on the upswing.
And he notes that the current flights, served by a 364-seat Boeing 777-300ER, usually fly 90 per cent full, among the highest load factor in Emirates' worldwide network.
Ottawa's denials have already hurt the Greater Toronto Area, Parker says.
As a result of the uncertainty, the airline has cancelled plans for a new business lounge at Pearson, a project worth more than $2 million that would have created "dozens" of jobs.
Also on hold is Emirates' ambitious plan to market Toronto and Ontario to the world since the airline doesn't have the frequency of flights to handle any extra traffic.
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Great pictures, Zahav, Deasine ! ! !
Tell me; can anyone give Ottawa a kick in the butt?
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