Emirates President Keeps Pressure on Boeing as China’s Comac Edges Into View
Photo Credit: Emirates Airline president, Sir Tim Clark, speaking at a media briefing on the sidelines of the 2025 Dubai Airshow. Ajay Awtaney
Skift Take
The Boeing 777X is Emirates’ future flagship, but Sir Tim Clark’s assessment of China’s aerospace ambitions hints at a shifting global balance.
Emirates president Sir Tim Clark is using this week’s Dubai Airshow to set out his stall. He reaffirmed the airline’s commitment to both Airbus and Boeing while suggesting the global aircraft duopoly may not be permanent, with China’s Comac positioned to become a credible challenger once it solves key technology gaps.
“The Chinese are here today. I think this is an interesting thing,” Clark said at a media briefing attended by Skift.
He insisted that while Emirates is not considering Comac aircraft for now, the situation was being monitored: “They're an amazingly resourceful nation, and if they grit their teeth with regard to what they want to do with their own aerospace sector, I think, they will [make it]. Their problem is propulsion, avionics, and all the other bits and pieces.”
Clark’s remarks underscore both China’s ambition and the limits it still faces as it tries to build a globally competitive commercial jet program.
