Emirates then and now

In 1984, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, then UAE Minister of Defense and a member of Dubai’s progressive royal family, asked Sir Maurice Flanagan, then managing director of dnata, to look into starting an airline.

By December that year, a comprehensive business plan was ready, and the name “Emirates” was chosen for the new airline.

Passenger arrivals at Dubai international hit the 11 million mark.

That financial year (1999-2000), Emirates carried 4.7 million passengers on its fleet of 32 aircraft.

Emirates becomes the first airline to sign up for the Airbus A380, ordering seven with options for five more at the Farnborough Air Show.

The world’s largest commercial aircraft will become a flagship of the Emirates fleet over the next two decades.

Emirates signs a GBP100 million deal with English Premiership club Arsenal, including naming rights to its new stadium for 15 years and shirt sponsorship for eight years, starting from the 2006/07 season.

Renewed in 2012 and 2018, this is the longest running shirt partnership in the Premier League, and one of the longest relationships in world sports.

Emirates makes history with an order for 42 Boeing 777s in a deal worth $9.7 billion. This was the largest-ever Boeing 777 order at the time. Today, Emirates is the world’s biggest operator of 777 aircraft.

Emirates and Qantas sign an extensive commercial partnership to give customers of both airlines seamless Australian and international network connections, exclusive frequent flyer benefits and world-class travel experiences.

The 10-year partnership goes beyond codesharing and includes integrated network collaboration with co-ordinated pricing, sales and scheduling as well as a benefit-sharing model.

Concourse A, the world’s first purpose-built A380 facility opens at Dubai International, expanding the airport’s capacity to 75 million per year.

Home to Emirates’ A380 fleet, Concourse A features dedicated Emirates First and Business Class lounges spanning over 19,000 m2, with direct boarding to the upper deck of the A380 aircraft.

Emirates launches the world’s first fully-enclosed First Class private suites, with unmatched luxury and privacy.

This game changer, with design touches inspired by Mercedes Benz, was introduced in a global ad campaign fronted by TV celebrity and motoring expert, Jeremy Clarkson.

Emirates buys 30 Boeing 787-9 aircraft worth USD 8.8 billion at list prices at the Dubai Airshow.

This adds to its USD 16 billion Airbus A350 order, taking its total aircraft order at the Dubai Airshow to USD 24.8 billion.

Over 540 volunteer passengers from 145 nationalities take off on Emirates flight EK2019, breaking the Guinness World Record for the most nationalities on an aircraft.

The historic A380 flight marks UAE National Day and the UAE Year of Tolerance, and showcases the diversity and unity of the citizen and residents of the UAE.