Emirates Is Grounded, and Global Aviation With It
Almost all carriers will struggle with the impact of the coronavirus, but the Dubai-based airline had some serious weaknesses going in.
This won't fly.
Photographer: Jason Alden/BloombergMuch as Pan Am Corp. was an emblem of the first wave of global aviation, Emirates has dominated the world airline industry for a generation. Its announcement that almost all passenger flights will be suspended from Wednesday marks the death knell of that era.
The Dubai-based carrier is the largest airline by international passenger traffic, with the capacity to move its customers 391 billion seat-kilometers last year. In terms of cross-border traffic, that’s twice the capacity of any U.S. airline and about a seventh more than the three European carriers that are its closest international competitors in terms of scale.