Emirates Airlines. Four decades of flying in the atmosphere of excellence and leadership 13 May, 2023

The passion for excellence and leadership that characterized the thought and approach of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, since early on his assumption of the Crown Prince in the Emirate of Dubai, is the broad title of the achievements with which Dubai has achieved its global position, as His Highness wanted this city located on the shores of the Arabian Gulf to have its status as a model for rapidly developing global cities, which was thanks to the vision and follow-up of His Highness and his keenness to launch projects The huge project, which at the time of its launch exceeded expectations, to the extent that some doubted its feasibility and value, oblivious to the major global status of these projects, including those projects "Emirates Airlines", which is today one of the largest and most important airlines in the world.

The Emirates Group, which includes Emirates Airline and dnata, announced its record results for the 2022-2023 financial year to provide the world with new proof that the solid foundation on which the modern renaissance of Dubai was built is the guarantee that it will overcome all difficulties and obstacles and enable it to jump over challenges no matter how great. Emirates is dazzling the world with record results, despite the impact of the Corona pandemic crisis, which was one of the most affected sectors by the aviation industry.

The Group achieved new record profits, and both Emirates and dnata recorded significant increases in revenue, as air transport and travel operations expanded after almost all pandemic-related restrictions were removed around the world. Emirates Group's profit reached AED 10.9 billion (US$ 3.0 billion) while the Group's revenue reached AED 119.8 billion (US$ 32.6 billion), up 81% from the previous year's results. The Group's cash balances stood at AED 42.5 billion (US$ 11.6 billion), the highest ever, a growth of 65% over the previous year.

As Dubai enters a new development phase at the beginning of this year, outlined by an ambitious plan included in the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, with its objectives to double the size of Dubai's economy and make it one of the three largest economic cities in the world and one of the top 3 global destinations for visitors in the fields of specialized tourism and business by 2033, Emirates Airline will have a tangible contribution to achieving these ambitious goals with its clear strategy and flexibility in dealing with global changes that enabled it to maintain its position among the major Airlines in the world.

Inspiring Leadership

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, stressed that the inspiring leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has made Dubai's institutions, whether from the private or government sectors, in a constant race in the field of excellence, not recognizing the word "impossible", but rather erasing it from its vocabulary, so that winning, victory and success are the most present words in Dubai's dictionary, and a guide for everyone living on its land towards the future. Promising and promising strives to be an influential partner in its making.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed recalls the early days of the launch of Emirates Airline, referring to what His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the author of the idea of its establishment, mentioned in his book "My Story", in which he devoted a chapter entitled "Airline in Dubai" about the approach established by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid to Emirates Airline from day one, even before its first flight, an approach based on fair competition away from any advantages that protect the fledgling company from global competitors.

Since His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum ordered in 1984, then Minister of Defence of the United Arab Emirates, the creation of an airline for Dubai, where the plan was prepared and the precious name "Emirates" was chosen to decorate the promising airline before the end of that year, to launch its first flights on October 25, 1985 with two chartered Boeing 737 and Airbus 300 B4 aircraft, without any government support. In 1987, it acquired the company's first Airbus A310-304 aircraft, growing its destinations in five years to 14 destinations.

Emirates Airlines. Lifeline for the global aircraft industry

In 1992, Emirates' order for 7 Boeing 777s with 7 options restored confidence in the industry, which was badly damaged by the first Gulf War.

In early 2018, Emirates announced a huge deal with Airbus worth $16 billion to purchase 36 Airbus A380 superjumbos, including 20 confirmed orders and 16 rights options, with the international media describing this deal at the time as "saving" Airbus superjumbos, while Emirates is today the largest operator of the Airbus A380 model in the world, with the airline currently operating 85 Airbus aircraft in its fleet. The number is expected to rise to 95 by the end of the current fiscal year in March.

In 2005, Emirates made history by ordering 42 Boeing 777s in a deal worth $9.7 billion, the largest order for Boeing 777s ever at the time, and today Emirates is the world's largest operator of this Boeing model.

Emirates and Dubai Airports have also had a significant impact on the recovery of global travel in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, as Dubai took the lead in opening its airspace to international air traffic on the seventh of July 2020, thanks to its very rapid movement and integrated work strategy, in which the efforts of the Dubai government, the private sector and society in general combined to implement comprehensive and strict precautionary measures, which contributed to quickly limiting the effects of the global crisis.

Highest Value

Emirates continued to rise to the forefront of excellence in which it continued to raise the bar with quality services, qualifying it in 2014 for the title of the 'Most Valuable Airline Brand' in the world, and ranked first in the Brand Finance report of the most valuable brands in the Middle East, worth an estimated US$ 3.7 billion, and in 2016 it won the title of the best airline in the world. In 2020, Emirates was recognized, and continues to be, as the world's largest international carrier. It was recently awarded Best Inflight Entertainment System for the seventeenth consecutive year at the Skytrax Airline World Awards.

A game-changer

Emirates has always been the difficult figure in the equation of excellence in the field of travel, as it was keen to provide quality services that contributed to the development of new standards for the quality of air travel, and in 2017 it launched the first private and fully closed suites for first class in the world, on board its Boeing 777 aircraft, which was the reason for changing the rules of competitiveness in the world of civil aviation, as the company provided its customers with an unprecedented amount of luxury and privacy during flights.

In May 2022, Emirates unveiled its all-new Premium Economy Class product, becoming the first airline in the region to offer customers this cabin on select A380 aircraft to give passengers more space and provide them with a luxurious dining experience in the elegant design of the cabin.