GULF carrier Emirates is seeking to extend by a month its provisional authority to operate a third daily flight between Manila and Dubai as this is of “national interest.”
Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) Executive Director Carmelo L. Arcilla said the airline filed a petition last week to allow the carrier to carry on with its third daily operations between the two nations, despite being reprimanded earlier this month for selling tickets beyond its December 26 allowable period.
“Emirates is asking for a month’s worth of extension or until the 27th of January. The board will meet on Monday to discuss the said petition,” he said in a phone interview on Sunday. The regulator, Arcilla said, will have the discretion on whether or not to allow the Middle Eastern aviation company to extend the operations of its borrowed coefficients.
Filipino carriers Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific were not too happy about it.
“This request is a direct insult to CAB and the Filipino people since it is in effect asking for authority to legitimize its sales practice that was shut down and for which it was fined P1.8 million by CAB last week, precisely because it was illegal,” the two airlines said in a joint statement issued on Sunday.
The Filipino air-services regulator slapped a hefty P1.8-million fine against Emirates earlier this month for selling tickets beyond its allowable provisional-operations period.
“In more mundane terms, Emirates is asking to be allowed to operate ‘colorum’ flights. This is a practice the public must be protected from,” the Filipino carriers noted, referring to illegal operations.
Emirates, according to its competitors, has shown “barefaced disrespect and contempt for the laws of the Philippines.”
“It is brazen enough to ask CAB to let Emirates continue insulting the country and its people. Its claim that national interest warrants the extension is but a cover to its real motive, which is to legitimize a third daily flight between Manila and Dubai,” the two leading Manila-based airlines said.
“National interest is based on rule of and respect for law. Emirates had no right to sell tickets without government approval. National interest is never served by an illegal act,” they said.
To recall, Emirates borrowed seven daily coefficients from the Philippines, after its code-share agreement with the Filipino flag carrier expired. It petitioned for an extension of its authority to operate its third daily flight until March, but it was turned down by the regulator in Manila.
“On top of this requested extension, Emirates has also asked the Philippine government to conduct air talks next month with the United Arab Emirates ostensibly for the two countries to agree on more flights per day, which again is another camouflage to legitimize its third daily flight,” the two carriers said.
Under the air-services agreement between the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates, each nation is given the privilege to operate 28 flights per week between Manila and the states under the Arabian bloc. The entitlements of the Philippines are held by PAL with 14, its sister carrier PAL Express with seven, and Cebu Pacific with seven. Emirates and Etihad Airways equally share the coefficients of the UAE.
“PAL and Cebu Pacific welcome competition that benefits the traveling public. However, Emirates, and all other foreign carriers, should not be allowed to disregard Philippine laws and regulations, to the detriment of Philippine carriers and in defiance of the true national interests in a fair and stable competitive environment,” the Filipino carriers said.
“We respectfully ask the Philippine Civil Aeronautics Board and the Philippine Air Consultations Panel to refrain from holding any bilateral talks with the UAE and giving any kind of legitimacy to an anomalous and unjustified operation,” they said.