Jimmy's Corner

Will Emirates Airlines be the new victim?
I have received an email urging Muslims to boycott Emirates Airlines and to send emails rebuking the worldwide famous airlines company for agreeing to let Arsenal sign a deal with an Israeli tourist company, and using Danish products on its airplanes.

It was announced on the Danish Arla Foods' website that Emirates Airlines uses Arla's products on board of its airplanes. However, the page displaying the announcement was removed!!!

On the Arab forums now they are discussing the fact that Emirates Airlines has become a "strategic partner" with Israel as they signed a deal with Israeli Ministry of Tourism giving Israel the right to put banners in the new Emirates Stadium of London's giant soccer club Arsenal. There are calls to boycott the greatest Arab airline company and people are posting script letters and emails to be sent to Emirates Airlines offices rebuking the company for such deals.

Well, the difference between those who run the giant Emirates Airlines and those who are calling for the boycott of Emirates Airline is quite simple: in Emirates Airlines they know how to work and know what's right and what's wrong, but those who are so angry for the deals are just mere morons who live and die like parrots saying what they do not understand.

Being a company searching for the best ways to offer their customers the best service available, Emirates Airlines signed the deal with Arla Foods which -I am sure- offered the best prices and the best products. These guys are not going to throw their money away or lose their world position for satisfying some fanatics who live in their own worlds. I truly appreciate the decision made by Emirates Airlines officials for not being drawn into an aimless stupid boycott, putting the good of their company as a top priority.

As for the deal with the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, here is Haartez story:

English Premiership club Arsenal will promote tourism to Israel under a $612,000 sponsorship deal signed yesterday. The two-year agreement, signed by Israeli and Arsenal officials in Tel Aviv, is the London soccer club's second with a Middle Eastern partner.

[...]

The deal was signed by Edelman and Tourism Minister Abraham Hirchson. The ads will be launched at the beginning of the 2006-2007 season.

Hirchson said Israel would pay 350,000 pounds ($612,000) to Arsenal, and be allowed to display its televised ads for five minutes during soccer matches. He called it a "breakthrough" agreement with one of the top soccer clubs in the world, allowing Israel to reach "tens of millions" of viewers worldwide.

[...]

Yesterday's deal is Arsenal's second with Israel. Last year, the club announced a youth development program in Israel as part of the club's attempt to search for talent around the globe.

As I understand from this article, England's giant soccer team Arsenal is the side that signed the deal with the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, and Arsenal had another deal with Israel even before Emirates Airlines' contract with the team goes into action. Yes, Emirates Airlines knew that Israeli is going to advertise on banners in Emirates Stadium and they had no objections on that. And the question is: why would they have any objections?


Israel is going to pay for the ad-boards, which means financial income to the company, wasn't that the reason why Emirates Airlines dealt with Arsenal in the first place??? Moreover, if Emirates Airlines refused the deal, Israel could have finished the deal with any other soccer club and still they will carry out their new tourism policy. All what Emirates Airlines was going to gain is the wrath of the English fans who could consider such a refusal or objection as a kind of racism, which could have endangered Emirates Airlines advertising campaign in England even before it starts.

Emirates Airlines has done the right thing, and made the right choice. But still they will be the new victims of stupidity and ignorance. Those who think they know and think better than those who run a world famous airline company will not let it go, and who knows, maybe one day we will see demonstrations attacking Emirates Airlines offices in the Arab countries.

I say it: Fly Emirates

Facts on Emirates Airlines:

• Established in May 1985
• United States astronaut Buzz Aldrin and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright were passengers on the airline's first flight from Dubai to New York City.
• Emirates was the first airline in the world to introduce Personal Television Screens for passengers. This was in 1992.
• Emirates is currently main sponsor of Collingwood Football Club and will become main sponsor of Arsenal F.C. from the 2005/2006 English football season. See also Emirates Stadium.
• Emirates was the sponsor of Chelsea F.C.
• In fiscal year 2005, Emirates achieved a record result of Dh2.6 billion ($708 million) net profit from Dh19.1 billion ($5.2 billion) operating revenue in what was another difficult year for the global aviation industry, marred by high fuel prices and the natural disaster in South East Asia. Emirates carried 12.52 million passengers, 2.1 million more than the previous year. It employs 16,119 staff.

UPDATE:
It is not a real update but it is an important thought I thought I should add. Emirates Airlines is located in Dubai and belongs to the United Arab Emirates, the mother country of the company involved in the ports deal in the United States.