Tim Clark on Tariffs and Other Topics
At this point in his career, Emirates' president will give an honest answer about nearly every topic, including political ones.
Dear readers,
A couple of weeks ago, I shared with you what Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary thinks about vacation packages, because I think O’Leary’s business tenets are germane for all of you, no matter who your airline serves or where it is based.1
In that spirit, I will bring you these stories I reported for you from last week’s IATA Annual General Meeting in New Delhi: a look at the economics behind Air New Zealand‘s economy class bunks, a chat with Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith about how he positions his company’s brands, and some nuggets from an open briefing with Emirates president Tim Clark, who somehow keeps on chugging 40 years after joining Emirates.
Today’s subject is Clark. I know most of the knocks on Clark — that he has a gigantic ego, that he's past his prime and should have retired years ago, and that he's not as responsible for every Emirates innovation as he likes to claim — but I genuinely like talking to him. One reason is that Clark can speak with authority on most topics, from engine maintenance to onboard product. Also, he doesn't have much of a filter, and that makes him more interesting than the average airline leader.2
I joined Clark for a small media briefing last week in New Delhi, in which he held court on several interesting topics, including his views on the Trump tariffs, on IndiGo and Air India's aircraft orders, United's global ambitions, and the evolution (or lack thereof) of the economy class seat.
He mostly shared transparent answers — a memorable moment was when the UK reporters sought a soundbite that would poke at Heathrow's CEO, who could not be reached for hours during a substation fire and ensuing airport power outage because his phone was on silent and he was asleep.3 Unfortunately, no one had the guts to ask Clark when he might retire for real this time4 — perhaps because we remember how he responded the last time we asked him about it at an IATA meeting.
Here are some highlights from the discussion.