Emirates defends extra fuel surcharge

Emirates airline's top executive has defended the imposition of an extra surcharge on passengers in the face of rising oil prices. Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates airline and Group, said that the fuel surcharge — which could run as high as Dh600 on the price of business class tickets — was a necessity at a time when oil prices were hovering over $120 (Dh440) per barrel. "We tried not to do it [but] you cannot really afford to go out of business," Shaikh Ahmad said. On Emirates' plans this year, he said that increases in the frequencies of popular routes were on the cards. "You will see the frequency increasing in some flights from once to twice or even more daily, while there will be new points in South and North America, Europe and China while in Australia there is a big chance of introducing a new destination," Shaikh Ahmad said. Shaikh Ahmad also said that competition from other Gulf carriers was not a major concern for Emirates. "At the end of the day, we look at the numbers to see whether our seat [numbers] dropped and the answer is no," he said.