Emirates president laments lack of airport investment in Europe and USA

Emirates Airline president Tim Clark has contrasted the investment in airports in the Middle East and Asia with activity in other regions, saying the latter are failing to keep pace. Speaking during a roundtable briefing at the IATA AGM in Dubai on 2 June, Clark cited London Heathrow as an example of an airport that requires investment. “The investment that needs to go into Heathrow needs to move at pace,” Clark says. “The airport is seriously lagging behind in many of its customer-facing functions.” The problem is not the management of Heathrow, which has been supportive of Emirates, he says, but comes from a lack of investment by the owners – something that he suggests might change now that the facility has new major shareholders. And the issues are by no means unique to the London hub, Clark says. Aside from Heathrow, Amsterdam Schiphol is “going south” amid moves by the government to cap traffic at the airport, he says, adding: “I don’t see much going on in France. I don’t see much going on in the US.” Airport owners everywhere should always be looking beyond immediate shareholder value, Clark says, and on to long-term investments in the airport experience – successful implementation of which will encourage return visits.<br/>