Emirates vows safety assurances, perks as Iran war hits travel

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Emirates vows safety assurances, perks as Iran war hits travel: Clark

June 9, 2026

DUBAI,— Emirates airline will introduce incentives to win back passengers put off by the ongoing Iran conflict, with the Gulf carrier focusing on reliability and customer care rather than cutting ticket prices, airline President Tim Clark said Tuesday.

Clark, speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of an industry summit in Berlin, said the state-backed airline would maintain its flight schedules despite rising costs.

It was his first interview with a global news agency since the conflict started in late February, a period that has hit Middle Eastern carriers hard.

The carrier plans to offer travelers “all sorts of incentives other than price,” Clark said, even as peace talks stall and attacks around the Gulf region have increased in recent days.

Among the measures being considered are new tools to reassure passengers about operational safety and commitments to address concerns over canceled flights and stranded travelers, he said.

Clark told Reuters the airline would go as far as booking passengers onto rival carriers to ensure they reach their destinations or get children back to school on time, while underscoring that safety in the air remains the carrier’s foremost concern.

Clark said Emirates is currently in discussions with governments and aviation regulators to ease restrictions on Middle East airspace, which has been tightened following the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has issued conflict-zone warnings advising carriers to avoid flying over parts of the Gulf and Middle East.

Clark acknowledged regulators have a duty to protect passengers but said he hopes authorities will ease their advisories.

“We rely on governments to be a little less restrictive in the warnings they issue about travelling across the Middle East,” he said, adding that intelligence-sharing between regional governments and airlines has been extensive.

On fares, Clark said price reductions are not currently possible. “The ticket price is very much conditional on what the oil price starts, and at the moment the oil price fluctuates,” he said.

He noted the conflict has left first-class cabins roughly half full but said Emirates still expects a solid summer season.

He predicted oil prices would drop from around $90 a barrel to approximately $70 eventually.

“And then we’ll be back,” Clark said. “But it’s a question of how long it takes.”

(With files from Reuters)