Emirates has dropped its plans to begin service to Mexico via Barcelona, after Mexican authorities informed the Dubai-based airline that it could not operate daily service.
"Despite previous assurances that slots [at Mexico City airport] were not an issue at the flight timings requested, the Mexican authorities have informed us that we will not be able to operate daily services, but only three flights a week," says Emirates.
"Unfortunately, this is not commercially viable for us given the resource investment required for such a long distance operation, not to mention the negative impact on connectivity and convenience for our customers."
Emirates had planned to serve Mexico City from Dubai via a stop in Barcelona. The Gulf carrier's proposed service was opposed by Aeromexico, which decided in May to not begin planned service to Barcelona In November as a result of the planned Emirates flight.
The Mexican airline, echoing its US partner and shareholder Delta Air Lines, had called Emirates an airline that "enjoys subsidies and benefits from its government".
Aeromexico had said that Emirates' fifth freedom authorisation on the routing would allow them to "offer flights between Mexico and Spain as if it were a Mexican airline".
Aeromexico did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It is not immediately clear if the Mexican airline will reinstate its plans for Barcelona service.
Emirates says it hopes to serve Mexico in the future when "the conditions enable us to do so".
"This is hugely disappointing, as our teams have been working hard with various stakeholders to bring this service to fruition in the three years since the Mexican president invited Emirates to operate this route and open new air links to connect Mexico to the Middle East, as well as key economic markets in Africa and Asia," it adds.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
