Emirates airline’s president, Tim Clark, has said that the company does not feel threatened by the expansion plans of new national carrier Riyadh Air. Saudi Arabia has recently announced plans to build a big new airport in the capital to handle 120 million travellers per year, and a $500bn futuristic city to be built from scratch. However, Clark welcomed increased competition, saying there was a long way to go for Saudi airlines and other competitors. Seven billion passengers could be flying per year by the 2030s, but Clark stated that airlines also need “seamless, wonderful” airports to follow the footsteps of Emirates which flies out of the world’s busiest air hubs. Emirates reported record half-year profits of $1.2bn in November and hopes to regain its pre-pandemic network of destinations by next summer.