Emirates (airline)
Emirates is an airline that operates through its global hub in Dubai. It belongs to the Emirates Group, which also includes dnata.
Contents16 sections
Key facts
1984–1985Planning and First Flights
In 1984 Maurice Flanagan, then managing director of dnata, was asked to look into starting an airline; by December that year a comprehensive business plan was ready and the name “Emirates” had been chosen. In March 1985 Flanagan was tasked with launching the airline within five months on US$10 million of seed funding; it had to “look good, be good, and make money,” with no subsidies or aeropolitical protection under Dubai’s open skies policy.[1]
On October 25, 1985 Emirates operated its first flights from Dubai to Karachi and Mumbai, using a BoeingBoeingBoeing is an American company that provides commercial airplanes, defense and space systems, and aviation services, and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.Open the full entry 737 and an Airbus 300 B4 wet-leased from Pakistan International Airlines. Tim Clark joined the founding team in 1985 as head of airline planning.[1][2]
1987First Owned Aircraft
On July 3, 1987 A6-EKA, an Airbus A310-304, flew from Toulouse to Dubai as Emirates took delivery of its first owned aircraft. In its first five years of operation the airline grew its network to 14 destinations.[1]
1992–1999Fleet and Network Expansion
In 1992 Emirates became the first airline to install video systems in every seat in all classes across its fleet, and ordered seven Boeing 777s with seven options. In 1998 the Emirates Group took a 43% stake in Air Lanka (later renamed SriLankan) and signed a ten-year management contract.[1]
In the 1999–2000 financial year Emirates carried 4.7 million passengers on a fleet of 32 aircraft, and by the turn of the millennium its network covered 50 destination cities.[1]
2000First Airline to Order the Airbus A380
In 2000 Emirates became the first airline to sign up for the Airbus A380, ordering seven with options for five more at the Farnborough Air Show.[1]
2003Tim Clark Becomes President
Tim Clark has been president of Emirates Airline since 2003. He joined British Caledonian in 1972 and moved to Gulf Air in 1975.[2]
2004Arsenal Sponsorship
In 2004 Emirates signed a £100 million deal with Premier League club Arsenal covering naming rights to its new stadium for 15 years and shirt sponsorship for eight years from the 2006/07 season; the partnership was renewed in 2012 and 2018.[1]
2005Order for 42 Boeing 777s
In 2005 Emirates ordered 42 Boeing 777s in a deal worth US$9.7 billion, at the time the largest-ever Boeing 777 order. The airline states that it is the world’s biggest operator of the 777.[1]
2007–2008Catering Facility and Terminal 3
In 2007 Emirates Flight Catering began operating from a new US$120 million facility at Dubai International; in 2008 the Emirates-dedicated Terminal 3 opened, with 500,000 passengers departing from it in its first month.[1]
2012Partnership with Qantas
In 2012 Emirates and Qantas signed a ten-year commercial partnership going beyond codesharing, with integrated network collaboration, coordinated pricing, sales and scheduling, and a benefit-sharing model.[1]
2013–2017A380 Concourse, flydubai Partnership and First Class Suites
In 2013 Concourse A, the world’s first purpose-built A380 facility, opened at Dubai International as home to Emirates’ A380 fleet. In 2017 Emirates and flydubai announced a strategic partnership including codesharing, schedule alignment and network optimisation, and that year Emirates launched fully enclosed First Class private suites.[1]
2019Dubai Airshow Orders
At the 2019 Dubai Airshow Emirates ordered 30 Boeing 787-9 aircraft worth US$8.8 billion at list prices; with its US$16 billion Airbus A350 order, its total orders at the show came to US$24.8 billion.[1]
2020International Traffic During the Pandemic
In 2020, as the industry was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, Emirates carried 15.8 million passengers; the airline states that it remained the largest international airline.[1]
November 2025 – May 2026New Orders and 2025–26 Results
At the 2025 Dubai Airshow Emirates announced orders worth US$41.4 billion at list prices for 65 more Boeing 777-9s and eight more A350-900s. At March 31, 2026 its order book stood at 367 aircraft (54 A350s, 270 Boeing 777Xs, 35 787s and eight 777Fs), with deliveries scheduled through 2038, and its fleet totaled 277 aircraft with an average age of 10.8 years.[3]
On May 7, 2026 the Emirates Group announced results for the 2025–26 financial year ended March 31, 2026: profit before tax of AED 24.4 billion (US$6.6 billion) and revenue of AED 150.5 billion (US$41.0 billion), with a dividend of AED 3.5 billion to its owner, the Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD). The airline itself posted profit before tax of AED 22.8 billion (US$6.2 billion) on revenue of AED 130.9 billion (US$35.7 billion), carried 53.2 million passengers and at March 31 served 152 cities in 80 countries. The Group’s workforce grew 8% to 130,919.[3]
The Group said that from February 28, 2026 military activity massively disrupted commercial air traffic in the Gulf region, including the UAE, after which Emirates gradually restored operations at Dubai International.[3]
Leadership
Adel Al Redha is deputy president and chief operations officer of Emirates Airline, overseeing the Dubai hub, worldwide network operations, flight operations and Emirates Engineering among other areas; Adnan Kazim, who joined Emirates in 1992, is deputy president and chief commercial officer, leading commercial operations across the passenger and cargo network.[2]
Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts
Emirates: Official website: https://www.emirates.com/ (opens in a new window).[4]
X: Public account: https://x.com/emirates (opens in a new window).[4]
LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: Public profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/emirates (opens in a new window).[4]
YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: Public channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/EMIRATES (opens in a new window).[4]