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SPOTLIGHTS
- Emirates Airlines President criticizes Heathrow’s outdated facilities
- He calls for improvements to enhance the passenger experience
- Heathrow defends its record and highlights planned investments
- The airport reiterates its commitment to working with airlines
By Chinelo Obogo, Lagos
The president of Emirates Airlines, Sir Tim Clark, has criticised Heathrow Airport, calling it a “Second World War airport.”
Speaking to The Telegraph, the airline boss stated that the airport is “not good enough” and prioritises shareholders over delivering a world-class experience. He specifically pointed to Terminal 3, where Emirates operates, suggesting it needs a redesign to improve passenger experience.
“I was at Heathrow the other day and walking out of our lounge the ceiling height is awful. It looks like a utilitarian structure, post-Second World War. It is just not good enough. It is seriously lagging behind in its customer experience,” Sir Clark remarked.
He compared Heathrow unfavourably to newer airports: “It’s an old airport. I’m afraid it’s very difficult. You need to open up the whole terminal. Where we are based, new airports are being built employing the latest technologies to streamline the process of all the customer-facing elements. That is not the case at Heathrow.”
A Heathrow spokesperson responded to the criticism, stating: “Every pound we want to spend on improving airport facilities needs approval from our regulator. Despite having our proposals cut back in the current regulatory settlement, we will still invest £3.6bn upgrading our infrastructure over the next three years. We will continue to invest and to work with our airline partners to build an airport fit for the future.”
