Tim Clark chair of Emirates welcomed delegates to IATA AGM & Conference 2024 at a gala dinner in Dubai.
Mr Clark told delegates: Dubai is always buzzing with new values, and I hope that those who have come here to be with us will have time to experience some of this firsthand. Dubai is investing in tourism, commerce, and community infrastructure. It is also building new economic capabilities in sectors like artificial intelligence and sustainable manufacturing, and it is well progressed on plans to use solar power for 30% of its energy requirements by 2030. Dubai plans to double foreign trade by 2033 and open new economic corridors to the global south. Air transport will be a key enabler in all of this, thanks to the UAE’s progressive policies.
Dubai is not just a base for Emirates Airline and flydubai, but it’s also a city where more than 100 airlines operate. These air transport links generate tremendous value for the country and also for the cities connected to Dubai. Airlines make the world accessible, help economies to prosper, and help people achieve their aspirations. That’s the business we are in, and we should be recognized as the force for good that we are as an industry. I think we have a great story to tell; we just need to make sure it is better heard and, crucially, galvanize our collective resources to influence policies and shape our destiny.
And why we’re all gathered here tonight, in the spirit of industry camaraderie, let us also remember that the airline business is actually fun. At least I think so; otherwise, I wouldn’t have gotten this far. We work with the best engineers in the science of flight, and we design products and experiences used by billions of people. We fly people across the world to meet loved ones, pursue jobs and business opportunities, or just take a nice holiday. We are a capital intensive, skills intensive, and technology intensive industry, but at the end of the day, we are still a people business. No plane is going to fly itself yet.
So I’m going to end on that note. The official IATA AGM begins tomorrow; we’ll have lots of things to discuss and work to get done together. But tonight, just sit back, relax, but don’t unfasten your seat belts; say hello to people that you’re with, and do lots of mingling. And once again, on behalf of all of us at Emirates, welcome to Dubai. Thank you very much, enjoy your evening.
