Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

Sometimes business mixes with politics in less than subtle ways, as a dispute over landing rights in Toronto for Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways clearly illustrates. What began as a purely commercial matter turned into a full-blown diplomatic row when the United Arab Emirates opted not to renew Canada’s lease on a key military supply base in Dubai, apparently because the government in Ottawa refused to reopen a 2001 bilateral air transport agreement to allow for more access to Canadian airports for Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways. 
Emirates, which flies Monday, Wednesday and Friday between Dubai and Toronto Pearson International Airport, wants to increase its service between its Middle Eastern hub and Canada’s busiest airport to once every day and open new daily service into Calgary and Vancouver. Transport Canada has denied the application on the grounds that the current level of service from Emirates and Etihad satisfies all the demand for travel between Canada and the UAE. 
Air Canada’s president and CEO, Calin Rovinescu, earlier this year accused Emirates of trying to flood the Canadian market with cheap capacity as part of its plan to build Dubai into the world’s largest air transport hub with the help of government subsidies. Of course, Emirates management has heard such charges before, most notably from airline executives in Europe and Australia who recognize the threat the Dubai-based carrier poses to their long-haul networks. 
Now holding a firm order for 90 Airbus A380s, Emirates harbors plans to connect virtually every major commercial center in the world through its hub in Dubai. In fact, Emirates CEO Tim Clark has said the airline will need more of the airplanes to execute the airline’s ultimate designs. But unless countries such as Canada, France and Germany show a willingness to grant more access to their airports, Emirates’ plans for its A380s remain under threat. 
Meanwhile, Canada’s refusal to play ball with the UAE might cost the Canadian taxpayers dearly, primarily for the sake of Air Canada. Although some estimates place the cost of closing the base in Dubai—used to supply troops deployed in Afghanistan—at a modest $50 million, an Emirates-commissioned study by InterVistas Consulting suggests that the Canadian economy stood to gain $480 million annually and 2,800 new jobs if Canada granted the Dubai-based airline further access to Toronto and rights to fly into Vancouver and Calgary.

UAE Plays Hardball on Behalf of Emirates, Etihad

Sometimes business mixes with politics in less than subtle ways, as a dispute over landing rights in Toronto for Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways clearl

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