Sometimes business mixes with politics in less than subtle ways, as a dispute over landing rights in Toronto for Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways clearly illustrates. What began as a purely commercial matter turned into a full-blown diplomatic row when the United Arab Emirates opted not to renew Canada’s lease on a key military supply base in Dubai, apparently because the government in Ottawa refused to reopen a 2001 bilateral air transport agreement to allow for more access to Canadian airports for Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways.
Emirates, which flies Monday, Wednesday and Friday between Dubai and Toronto Pearson International Airport, wants to increase its service between its Middle Eastern hub and Canada’s busiest airport to once every day and open new daily service into Calgary and Vancouver. Transport Canada has denied the application on the grounds that the current level of service from Emirates and Etihad satisfies all the demand for travel between Canada and the UAE.
