Emirates airline is changing its flight path. After more than a decade of organic growth, the Dubai carrier announced this week that it is studying foreign acquisitions. While the airline says it hasn't entered any talks for the moment, the shift comes amid rising competition. Meanwhile, India is due to decide whether to allow foreign airlines to own up to 49 percent of its local carriers.
The Dubai airline, which carries more than 30 million passengers a year, faces competition from its equally ambitious, deep-pocketed rival Etihad, the Abu Dhabi-owned official carrier of the UAE. Emirates airline is larger and has been profitable for longer. But the upstart has started to cherry pick minority stakes in the very markets Emirates is eyeing, and it is growing fast.
The German market is a case in point. Emirates for years lobbied for landing slots at Berlin airport - in vain. Then Etihad waltzed in last year by picking up a near 30 percent stake in cash-strapped Air Berlin for a total of $350 million in loans and fresh capital.
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