Minister Peters' ultimatum to Emirates begs question of SAA protectionism
16 November 2014
The DA is concerned at reports today revealing that the Minister of Transport, Dipuo Peters, is summoning a United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister to attend an urgent bilateral meeting in South Africa, over the future landing rights of Emirates Airlines in South Africa.
Emirates is a critical international travel carrier for inbound and outbound South African leisure and business travel.
The review comes after Emirates Airline received an ultimatum on Friday, that the South African government may block the landing of all of its flights in South Africa, after the department issued and then retracted a new landing slot for Emirates, which is itself very problematic.
I will today write to the Minister of Transport to implore her that if she presses ahead with her ultimatum to Emirates, and if she holds a meeting with a minister of the UAE government, she does so by way of an open meeting subject to public scrutiny.