Emirates Group
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The Emirates Group () is a
state-owned State ownership, also called public ownership or government ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, property, or enterprise by the national government of a country or state, or a public body representing a community, as opposed to ...
Dubai-based international
aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' include fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as h ...
holding company headquartered in
Garhoud Al Garhoud (, ), or simply Garhoud, is a commercial and residential zone in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is bounded by Port Saeed to the west, Umm Ramool to the east, Dubai Airport to the north and Al Kheeran to the south. The Emirates Ai ...
,
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
,
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
, near
Dubai International Airport Dubai International Airport () is the primary international airport serving Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic as of 2024. It is also the busiest airport in the Middle East as ...
. The Emirates Group comprises dnata, an aviation services company providing ground handling services at 126 airports, and
Emirates Airline Emirates is one of the two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates (the other being Etihad Airways). Based in Garhoud, Dubai, the airline is a subsidiary of The Emirates Group, which is owned by the government of Dubai's Investment Corpor ...
, the largest airline in the Middle East. Emirates Airlines flies to over 150 destinations across 6 continents, operating a fleet of over 250 wide-bodied aircraft. The airline has 170 aircraft on order worth US$58 billion. The Emirates Group has a turnover of approximately US$28.3 billion and employs over 105,000 employees across all its business units and associated firms, making it one of the biggest employers in the Middle East. The company is wholly owned by the
Government of Dubai The Government of Dubai () is the subnational authority that governs the Emirate of Dubai, one of the seven constituent monarchies which make up the United Arab Emirates. The executive authority and head of the government is the Ruler of Dubai, Sh ...
directly under the
Investment Corporation of Dubai Investment Corporation of Dubai (, ICD) is the principal investment arm of the Government of Dubai focused on strengthening Dubai’s economy through long-term value and wealth creation and investing in global opportunities. Established in 2006, ...
and as part of Dubai Inc.


Head office

The airline's head office is in the
Emirates Group The Emirates Group () is a state-owned Dubai-based international aviation holding company headquartered in Garhoud, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, near Dubai International Airport. The Emirates Group comprises dnata, an aviation services company ...
building in
Al-Garhoud Al Garhoud (, ), or simply Garhoud, is a commercial and residential zone in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is bounded by Port Saeed to the west, Umm Ramool to the east, Dubai Airport to the north and Al Kheeran to the south. The Emirates Airl ...
,
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
. The building is located on Airport Road, across from the site of the Emirates Engineering Centre built in 2007. A tunnel connects the building to
Dubai International Airport Dubai International Airport () is the primary international airport serving Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic as of 2024. It is also the busiest airport in the Middle East as ...
. Construction of the building cost AED 700 million (US$191 million). Construction began in 2004 and was scheduled to end in 2007. Emirates self-financed the construction. Over 6,000 employees work in the building. Previously the airline's head office was the Airline Centre along the clock tower Roundabout in Dubai.


History


Origins

As the British pulled out of Dubai in the late 1950s, Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum al Maktoum decreed an open seas, open skies, and open trade policy, to develop the country. He also required all government agencies to make a profit. The country was aiming to eliminate its dependence on its finite oil reserves within 50 years. The Dubai National Air Transport Association (DNATA) was formed in 1959, and by the mid-1980s, it was employing 2,500 employees. It consisted of three business segments: Dnata Airport Operations, Dnata Cargo and Dnata Agencies. In addition to providing support services at
Dubai International Airport Dubai International Airport () is the primary international airport serving Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic as of 2024. It is also the busiest airport in the Middle East as ...
, the company served as a sales agent for 26 airlines. Dubai had been used as a stopover on routes between Europe and the Far East since the days of
Imperial Airways Imperial Airways was an early British commercial long-range airline, operating from 1924 to 1939 and principally serving the British Empire routes to South Africa, India, Australia and the Far East, including Malaya and Hong Kong. Passengers ...
, which landed its
flying boats A flying boat is a type of seaplane with a hull (watercraft), hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in having a fuselage that is purpose-designed for flotation, while floatplanes rely on fuselage-mounted floats for b ...
there en route to Australia. The open skies policies kept its airport among the busiest in the Middle East. During the mid-1980s,
Gulf Air Gulf Air () is the flag carrier of Bahrain, which was founded in 1950. Headquartered in Muharraq, the airline operates scheduled flights to 51 destinations in 30 countries across Africa, Asia, and Europe. The airline's main hub is at Bahrain I ...
began to cut back its services to Dubai. As a result, Emirates was conceived in March 1985 with backing from Dubai's royal family, whose
Dubai Royal Air Wing Dubai Royal Air Wing (otherwise simply known as the "Royal Airwing") is the paramilitary airline of the government of the United Arab Emirates. Dubai Royal Air Wing, located on the southeast side of Dubai International Airport, Dubai Internation ...
provided two of the airline's first aircraft, used Boeing 727-200/Advs. It was required to operate independently of government subsidies, apart from $10 million in start-up capital. It also leased a new
Boeing 737-300 The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft. Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300, first flew in Febru ...
from
Pakistan International Airlines Pakistan International Airlines, commonly known as PIA, is the flag carrier of Pakistan. With its primary hub at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, the airline also operates from its secondary hubs at Allama Iqbal International Airport ...
which was returned in 1987. Maurice Flanagan was named managing director of the new airline. Formerly of the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
,
British Airways British Airways plc (BA) is the flag carrier of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main Airline hub, hub at Heathrow Airport. The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and pass ...
, and
Gulf Air Gulf Air () is the flag carrier of Bahrain, which was founded in 1950. Headquartered in Muharraq, the airline operates scheduled flights to 51 destinations in 30 countries across Africa, Asia, and Europe. The airline's main hub is at Bahrain I ...
, Flanagan had been seconded to DNATA in 1978 on a two-year assignment as assistant general sales manager. Chairman was Sheikh
Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum (; born 1 December 1958) is an Emirati businessman, politician and member of Dubai's ruling Al Maktoum family, who is the current chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline and the Emirates Group, second vice chairm ...
, nephew of the Ruler of Dubai, became chairman of Department of Civil Aviation and DNATA itself. Tim Clark joined the management team. The first flight of the airline was,
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
-
Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
on 25 October 1985. The airline leased an Airbus 300B4-200, from
Pakistan International Airlines Pakistan International Airlines, commonly known as PIA, is the flag carrier of Pakistan. With its primary hub at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, the airline also operates from its secondary hubs at Allama Iqbal International Airport ...
.
Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...
and
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
were the next destinations for the airline. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum later gifted two
Boeing 727-200 The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavier 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airp ...
s to the airline. The Emirates Group became profitable within its first nine months. During its first year, the airline carried about 260,000
passengers A passenger is a person who travels in a vehicle, but does not bear any responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination or otherwise operate the vehicle, and is not a steward. The vehicles may be bicycles, ...
and 10,000 tons of
freight In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in ...
. By 1986, the airline was adding new destinations such as
Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
,
Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...
,
Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...
, and
Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
to its route network. In its second year the group posted a loss, but growth continued even as the region was experiencing a downturn a year later. The
Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
and the laying off of expatriate workers as the main factors. In its second year, competitors had accused Emirates of starting a
price war A price war is a form of market competition in which companies within an industry engage in aggressive pricing activity "characterized by the repeated cutting of prices below those of competitors". This leads to a cycle, where each competitor att ...
, something the airline's competitors still accuse Emirates of doing. On 3 July 1987, Emirates received its first bought Airbus A310-304, from Toulouse. Within the first 38 months of operating, Emirates was serving 12 destinations. Emirates Sky Cargo, which operated as a separate entity, carried 25,000 tons of freight in fiscal 1989. Emirates expanded its route network into the Far East in 1990, and expanded its European operations in the summer of 1992. In 1990, the airline purchased three additional
Airbus A310-300 The Airbus A310 is a wide-body aircraft, designed and manufactured by Airbus Industrie GIE, then a consortium of European aerospace manufacturers. Airbus had identified a demand for an aircraft smaller than the A300, the first twin-jet wid ...
s from Airbus. The Group also launched Marhaba in December 1991 as a premium meet and greet service for passengers travelling through
Dubai International Airport Dubai International Airport () is the primary international airport serving Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic as of 2024. It is also the busiest airport in the Middle East as ...
.


Growth

By the early 1990s,
Emirates Emirates may refer to: * United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective ...
had become one of the fastest growing airlines globally. Its annual revenues increased by approximately $100 million, reaching around $500 million in 1993. That year, the airline transported 68,000 tons of cargo and 1.6 million passengers. The
Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
had a significant impact on the regional aviation industry. During the final days of the conflict, Emirates was the only airline to continue operations, although its fleet was grounded temporarily in the winter of 1991 during the liberation of Kuwait. Services resumed a few weeks later. In 1993, Emirates expanded its fleet with the addition of another
Airbus A300-600R The Airbus A300 is Airbus' first production aircraft and the world's first Twinjet, twin-engine, double-aisle Wide-body aircraft, (wide-body) airliner. It was developed by ''Airbus Industrie GIE'', now merged into Airbus SE, and manufactured f ...
, bringing the total number of aircraft to nine. The same year, the airline placed an order for seven
Boeing 777 The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The 777 is the world's largest twinjet and the most-built wide-body airliner. ...
s, with an option for seven more, in a deal valued at approximately US$645.5 million. At its sixth anniversary, Emirates was transporting about 25,000 passengers weekly to 23 destinations. In 1994, it opened a new terminal at
Dubai Airport Dubai International Airport () is the primary international airport serving Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic as of 2024. It is also the busiest airport in the Middle East as ...
, constructed at a cost of US$2 million. Emirates also expanded its international presence through partnerships. In late 1993, it entered into an agreement with US Airways to broaden its service network. Prior to this, it had cooperative arrangements with Cyprus Airways. By 1994, Emirates operated 15 aircraft and served 32 destinations, ranking as the sixth largest airline in the Middle East at that time. Emirates took in revenues of $643.4 million in the year ending 30 March 1994. The airline had 4,000 employees and carried two million passengers a year between 34 destinations with a fleet of 18
Airbus Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate Airbus Defence and Space, defence and space and Airbus Helicopters, he ...
aircraft. In spite of the large capital expenditures, the Dubai government had laid out only $50 million since the airline's inception. In October 1995, the Emirates Group launched Mercator an IT company. A total of 92 air carriers were flying to Dubai Airport and Emirates faced intense competition at its home base. It carried about three million passengers a year to
Dubai International Airport Dubai International Airport () is the primary international airport serving Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic as of 2024. It is also the busiest airport in the Middle East as ...
in the mid-1990s. Emirates continued to expand during the late 1990s. The growing cargo business accounted for 16 percent of the airline's total revenues. By 1995, it has a fleet flying to 34 locations in the Middle East, Far East and Europe. Emirates also opened its own Flight Training Centre in 1995, and in 2017, its own Flight Training Academy. In 1997, Emirates was flying a dedicated freighter to
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
, a point not on its network of passenger routes, in cooperation with
KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, or simply KLM (an abbreviation for their official name Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. , ),
. It carried about three million passengers during the year. The same year, Emirates made a $2 billion order for 16 Airbus
A330-200 The Airbus A330 is a wide-body airliner developed and produced by Airbus. Airbus began developing larger A300 derivatives in the mid–1970s, giving rise to the A330 twinjet as well as the Airbus A340 quadjet, and launched both designs along ...
s, and carried over three million passengers and 150,000 tonnes of cargo. The airline also took delivery of six
Boeing 777-200 The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long haul, long-range Wide-body aircraft, wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The 777 is the world's largest twinjet and the mo ...
s, giving it new long-haul capabilities. Emirates opened a, $65 million training center in January 1997. The airline was then able to provide simulator training for its crew members and flight and maintenance personnel. A record group profit of AED 371 million was achieved in 1997–98. Emirates executives planned a slowdown in the airline's growth in the late 1990s to stabilize its expansive route network. In May 1998, Emirates paid the
Government of Sri Lanka The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) (; ) is a Semi-presidential republic determined by the Constitution of Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan Constitution. It administers the island from both its commercial capital of Colombo and the administrative capital o ...
$70 million for a 40 percent stake in
SriLankan Airlines SriLankan Airlines is the flag carrier of Sri Lanka and a member airline of the Oneworld airline alliance. It was launched in 1979 as Air Lanka following the termination of operations of the original Sri Lankan flag carrier Air Ceylon. As of t ...
(formerly known as
Air Lanka SriLankan Airlines is the flag carrier of Sri Lanka and a member airline of the Oneworld airline alliance. It was launched in 1979 as Air Lanka following the termination of operations of the original Sri Lankan flag carrier Air Ceylon. As of t ...
). As part of the deal, Emirates received a 10-year contract to manage SriLankan. In January 2008, Emirates announced that it would give back management of SriLankan Airlines to the Government of Sri Lanka, effective April 2008. Emirates sold its stake in SriLankan Airlines to the Government of Sri Lanka during June 2010. In 1998, the airline opened a $540 million Terminal 2 at Dubai International Airport, increasing its capacity by 26 percent as passenger figures hit 3.7 million, while cargo levels went up to 200,000 tonnes. Galileo Emirates (now known as Emquest), was established to consolidate the distribution of the Galileo Reservation System in the existing markets of the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In 1999, Emirates opened its own hotel – The Al Dossa Desert Resort. Emirates Group's workforce totalled 11,000 that year, and Dnata entered the South-East Asian airport services market with the launch of
Dnata Dubai National Air Travel Agency () (commonly known as dnata) is an Emirati airport services provider which provides aircraft ground handling, cargo, travel, and flight catering services across five continents. History The company dnata was ...
Philippines Inc.
Emirates SkyCargo Emirates SkyCargo () is a cargo airline based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. As of 2020, it is the fourth largest cargo airline worldwide in terms of the total freight tonne-kilometres flown and international freight tonne-kilometres flown. Em ...
also launched a new system called Skychain developed by Mercator, which provided access via the Internet and email to everyone involved in moving a cargo.


Modern history

Emirates announced an order in April 2000 as the first launch customer for the Airbus A3XX (later named
Airbus A380 The Airbus A380 is a very large wide-body airliner, developed and produced by Airbus until 2021. It is the world's largest passenger airliner and the only full-length double-deck jet airliner. Airbus studies started in 1988, and the pr ...
), the largest civil aircraft ever built. The deal comprised five
Airbus A380-800 The Airbus A380 is a very large wide-body airliner, developed and produced by Airbus until 2021. It is the world's largest passenger airliner and the only full-length double-deck jet airliner. Airbus studies started in 1988, and the pro ...
s and two Airbus A380-800F. The deal was confirmed on 4 November 2001 and Emirates announced orders for 15 more A380-800s at the same time. Also announced was an order for 6 Boeing 777s. Emirates justified its order by saying that purchasing the 481- to 656-passenger super jumbo to was to maximize its use of scarce takeoff and landing slots at crowded airports like
London Heathrow Heathrow Airport , also colloquially known as London Heathrow Airport and named ''London Airport'' until 1966, is the primary and largest international airport serving London, the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdo ...
. In the same year the new Sheikh Rashid Terminal opened, increasing the capacity at Dubai International to 22 million passengers a year. The loyalty program of Emirates, Skywards was also launched. Sheikh Ahmed also announced that Dubai Government is to invest $500–600m in the new Terminal 3 – with a capacity for 20 million passengers a year. Towards the end of 2000, Emirates Airline was planning to start ultra-long-haul service to the East Coast and West Coast of the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
as well as nonstop flights to
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
and Argentina. Traffic continued to grow at a rate of 20 percent in 1999–2000. In 2001, Emirates SkyCargo Centre opened with a capacity to handle 400,000 tonnes a year. Emirates was also voted airline of the year by research consultancy
Skytrax Skytrax (originally known as Inflight Research Services) is a United Kingdom–based consultancy headquartered in London that runs an airline and airport review website. Services Skytrax conducts research for commercial airlines, as well as t ...
. Emirates took delivery of its 18th Airbus A330-200 and ordered two more, making it the biggest A330 operator in the world. The airline also announced an order worth $15 billion for 15 A380s, eight
A340-600 The Airbus A340 is a long-haul, long-range, wide-body passenger airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. In the mid-1970s, Airbus conceived several derivatives of the Airbus A300, A300, its first airliner, and developed the A340 qu ...
s, three
A330 The Airbus A330 is a wide-body airliner developed and produced by Airbus. Airbus began developing larger A300 derivatives in the mid–1970s, giving rise to the A330 twinjet as well as the Airbus A340 quadjet, and launched both designs alon ...
s and 25
Boeing 777 The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The 777 is the world's largest twinjet and the most-built wide-body airliner. ...
s. A year later, the airline was again named airline of the year by
Skytrax Skytrax (originally known as Inflight Research Services) is a United Kingdom–based consultancy headquartered in London that runs an airline and airport review website. Services Skytrax conducts research for commercial airlines, as well as t ...
. Passenger level on Emirates in the 2001–02 financial year reached 6.3 million passengers, and cargo crossed 400,000 tonnes. The Group also announced a $275 million investment in new hangar complex at the Emirates Engineering Centre. Galileo Emirates was further expanded when the business acquired the distribution rights for
Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
and
Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...
. In early 2003, the Emirates flight catering was formed out of Emirates Abela Catering Company. Emirates flight catering employed over 5,400 staff. In its first year, the catering company produced over 16 million meals with a daily average of 45,000 meals. In the end of 2003, Emirates ordered 71 aircraft at a cost of $19 billion. In the financial year ending March 2003, Emirates carried 8.5 million passengers, an increase of 26%, and the airline posted an increase in profits of 94 per cent to Dhs907 million from Dhs468 million from the previous year. Dnata also launched its services in Kuwait. In 2004, Emirates ordered four
Boeing 777-300ER The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long haul, long-range Wide-body aircraft, wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The 777 is the world's largest twinjet and the mo ...
s, with nine options, in a $2.96 billion deal. The SkyCargo fleet is increased with three
Airbus A310-300 The Airbus A310 is a wide-body aircraft, designed and manufactured by Airbus Industrie GIE, then a consortium of European aerospace manufacturers. Airbus had identified a demand for an aircraft smaller than the A300, the first twin-jet wid ...
s added to its six
Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a long-range wide-body aircraft, wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2023. After the introduction of the Boeing 707, 707 in October 1958, Pan Am ...
s. Emirates also signed a £100 million deal with English Premiership side
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
, which included the naming rights to its new stadium for 15 years and shirt sponsorship for eight years, starting from the 2006/07 season. By the end of 2003,
Dnata Dubai National Air Travel Agency () (commonly known as dnata) is an Emirati airport services provider which provides aircraft ground handling, cargo, travel, and flight catering services across five continents. History The company dnata was ...
began operations in
Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
. In 2005, the Emirates Group workforce totaled 25,000, making it Dubai's largest employer. Passenger traffic also continued to rise with 12.5 million recorded that year. Emirates ordered 42 Boeing 777s in a deal worth $9.7 billion, the largest
Boeing 777 The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The 777 is the world's largest twinjet and the most-built wide-body airliner. ...
order in history at the
Dubai Airshow The Dubai Airshow () is a biennial air show held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in cooperation with Dubai Civil Aviation ...
in 2005. In April 2005, Dnata started operations in Saudi Arabia. In June, Dnata bought over
Changi International Airport Services dnata Singapore Pte Ltd is a ground handling provider at Singapore Changi Airport, providing ground, passenger and cargo handling services, in-flight catering and security services to 69 scheduled and 45 non-scheduled airlines. Ground handlin ...
, with
Temasek Holdings Temasek Holdings (Private) Limited ( ) is a Singaporean State ownership, state-owned multinational investment firm. Incorporated on 25 June 1974, Temasek has a net portfolio of US$288 billion (S$389 billion) as of 2024. Headquartered at Orchard ...
retaining shareholding. In July, Emirates flight catering began operations at its new food point facility – a 10,000 square metre facility capable of producing 30 million meals annually. In early 2006, Emirates flight catering began operations at its new $120 million catering facility dedicated to service the flights of
Emirates Airline Emirates is one of the two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates (the other being Etihad Airways). Based in Garhoud, Dubai, the airline is a subsidiary of The Emirates Group, which is owned by the government of Dubai's Investment Corpor ...
. The facility had the capacity of producing over 115,00 meals daily. Also, in 2006, Emirates flight catering opened its linecraft laundering plant. The facility has a total area of 10,500 m2, and a capacity to handle 50 tonnes of laundry and dry cleaning output per day. At the
Farnborough Air Show The Farnborough International Airshow is a trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries, where civilian and military aircraft are demonstrated to potential customers and investors in Farnborough, Hampshire. Since its first show in ...
in 2006, Emirates signed an agreement for 10
Boeing 747-8F The Boeing 747-8 is the final series of the large, long-range wide-body airliners in the Boeing 747 family from Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the largest model variant of the 747 and Boeing's largest aircraft overall. Following the intro ...
in a deal worth $3.3 billion, and in 2007 Emirates signs contracts for 120
Airbus A350 The Airbus A350 is a flight length, long-range, wide-body twin-engine airliner developed and produced by Airbus. The initial A350 design proposed in 2004, in response to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, would have been a development of the Airbu ...
s, 11
Airbus A380 The Airbus A380 is a very large wide-body airliner, developed and produced by Airbus until 2021. It is the world's largest passenger airliner and the only full-length double-deck jet airliner. Airbus studies started in 1988, and the pr ...
s and 12
Boeing 777-300ER The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long haul, long-range Wide-body aircraft, wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The 777 is the world's largest twinjet and the mo ...
s, worth an estimated $34.9 billion, at the
Dubai Air Show The Dubai Airshow () is a biennial air show held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in cooperation with Dubai Civil Aviation ...
. The New Engineering Centre and Engine Test Cell are officially opened and the Emirates Harbour Hotel & Residence and the Marina Hotel open their doors. In September, the group also buys a 49% stake in UK based Alpha Group. Also in 2007, Dnata signed a 15-year joint venture agreement with China West Airport Group to provide airport ground handling services in Xi'an Xianyang International Airport. Dnata will also participate in operations at 10 other airports managed by CWAG. Under the agreement signed, Dnata will hold a 45 per cent stake in Xi'an Dnata Aviation Services Company Limited, with the remaining 55 per cent owned by CWAG. Also, at the end of 2007, Dnata opened offices in Qatar. In 2008, the Emirates Group moved into its new headquarters in
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
.
Emirates SkyCargo Emirates SkyCargo () is a cargo airline based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. As of 2020, it is the fourth largest cargo airline worldwide in terms of the total freight tonne-kilometres flown and international freight tonne-kilometres flown. Em ...
also began operations out of Dubai Cargo Village's new Mega Terminal, with a capacity to handle 1.2 million tonnes annually. In June, Dnata acquired a 19.99 percent stake in its partner
Hogg Robinson Group Hogg Robinson Group was a business active in the insurance and latterly the corporate travel management sectors. It was acquired by American Express Global Business Travel in July 2018. History Hogg Robinson Group was established in 1845, by b ...
, becoming the largest shareholder in the company. In August Emirates took delivery of three A380s and the first Emirates A380 touched down in New York in August. Emirates also received its 10,000th cabin crew member. In September,
Sabre Holdings Sabre Corporation, a travel technology company headquartered in Southlake, Texas, is the largest global distribution systems (GDS) provider for air bookings. The company's primary product, the Sabre Global Distribution System, and others lik ...
signed a 10-year agreement with EmQuest to distribute services in Africa. In October the Emirates dedicated Terminal 3 opened with a capacity of over 27 million passengers, the terminal is the largest terminal in the world. In 2013, EmQuest signed an agreement with Contac Services Inc. to launch the mywurld platform in the Middle East and Africa.


Corporate management

The Emirates Group is a subsidiary of the Dubai government investment company, Investment Corporation of Dubai. The group has recorded a profit every year, except the second, and growth has never fallen below 20% a year. In its first 11 years, it doubled in size every 3.5 years, and has every four years since. In 2008, Emirates paid dividends worth US$776 million to the Government of Dubai. The government has received Dhs3.1 billion from Emirates since dividends started being paid in 1999 for having provided an initial start-up capital of US$10m and an additional
investment Investment is traditionally defined as the "commitment of resources into something expected to gain value over time". If an investment involves money, then it can be defined as a "commitment of money to receive more money later". From a broade ...
of
circa Circa is a Latin word meaning "around, approximately". Circa or CIRCA may also refer to: * CIRCA (art platform), in London * Circa (band), a progressive rock supergroup * Circa (company), an American skateboard footwear company * Circa (contempora ...
US$80m at the time of the airline's inception. The Dubai government is the sole owner of the company. However, it does not put any new money into it, nor does it interfere with running the airline.


Structure and employment

Emirates has diversified into related industries and sectors, including airport services,
engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
, event organization,
catering Catering is the business of providing food services at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, hospital, pub, aircraft, cruise ship, park, festival, filming location or film studio. History of catering The earliest account of major service ...
, and
tour operator A tour operator is a business that typically combines and organizes lodging, accommodations, meals, sightseeing and transportation components, in order to create a package tour. They advertise and produce brochures to promote their products, holi ...
operations. Emirates has 4 subsidiaries and its parent company has more than 50. On 31 March 2020, at the end of the fiscal year, Emirates airlines employed a total of 59,519 staff of which 21,789 were cabin crew, 4,313 were flight deck crew, 3,316 were in engineering, 12,627 were listed as other, 5,376 employees were at overseas stations and 12,098 were at subsidiary companies.


Subsidiaries


Air transport


Emirates Airline

Emirates is a subsidiary of The Emirates Group, and a major airline in the Middle East. It is the
national airline A flag carrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by that government for international operations. Histo ...
of
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
,
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
and operates over 1,990 passenger flights per week, from its hub at
Dubai International Airport Dubai International Airport () is the primary international airport serving Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic as of 2024. It is also the busiest airport in the Middle East as ...
, to over 101 destinations in 61 countries across 6 continents. Emirates Airline was established in 1985 with one
Boeing 727 The Boeing 727 is an American Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavier Boeing 707, 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter ...
and one
Airbus A300 The Airbus A300 is Airbus' first production aircraft and the world's first Twinjet, twin-engine, double-aisle Wide-body aircraft, (wide-body) airliner. It was developed by ''Airbus Industrie GIE'', now merged into Airbus SE, and manufactured f ...
. The Emirates fleet is now 10
Boeing 777-200LR The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The 777 is the world's largest twinjet and the most-built wide-body airliner. ...
, 125
Boeing 777-300ER The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long haul, long-range Wide-body aircraft, wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The 777 is the world's largest twinjet and the mo ...
, and 117
Airbus A380 The Airbus A380 is a very large wide-body airliner, developed and produced by Airbus until 2021. It is the world's largest passenger airliner and the only full-length double-deck jet airliner. Airbus studies started in 1988, and the pr ...
aircraft. In the financial year 2008–09 passenger numbers reached 22.7 million, representing an increase of 7.1% over the previous year. The airline's profits however were down 72% for the 2008/09 fiscal year. Its profit of 1.49bn dirhams ($406m; £255m) for the year to 31 March 2009 compared with a 5.3bn dirham profit for the previous year.


Emirates SkyCargo

Emirates SkyCargo is a cargo carrier operating from Dubai International Airport. The SkyCargo division operates 13 Boeing 777 Freighters. Emirates SkyCargo also use the cargo capacity of the passenger fleet. In the 2019-20 fiscal year, Emirates SkyCargo carried 2,389,000 tonnes, a decline of 10.2% compared to the previous year.


Airport aviation services


Dnata

Dnata is an aviation services company, comprising Dnata Airport Operations, the largest ground and passenger handling company at Dubai International Airport, Dnata Cargo, responsible for dealing with much of the 1.3 million tonnes of cargo passing through Dubai International Airport, and Dnata Agencies, a Dubai-based travel agency, acting on behalf of a number of major carries, including
Aeroflot PJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines (, ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ; , , ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. Aeroflot is headquartered in the Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow, with its hub being Sheremetyevo Interna ...
,
Aer Lingus Aer Lingus ( ; an anglicisation of the Irish language, Irish , meaning "air fleet") is an Irish airline company which is the flag carrier of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded by the Irish Government, it was privatised between 2006 and 201 ...
,
Airblue Airblue Limited (stylized as airblue) is a private Pakistani airline with its head office on the ground floor of the Islamabad Stock Exchange (ISE) Towers in Islamabad, Pakistan. Airblue operates scheduled domestic and international flights, t ...
,
British Airways British Airways plc (BA) is the flag carrier of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main Airline hub, hub at Heathrow Airport. The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and pass ...
,
Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...
and
United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...
.


Changi International Airport Services

Changi International Airport Services (CIAS) offers ground handling services to more than 30 scheduled airlines in Singapore.


Engineering services

Emirates Engineering supports the expansive fleet of
Airbus Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate Airbus Defence and Space, defence and space and Airbus Helicopters, he ...
and
Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...
aircraft operated by Emirates Airline together with those of thirty other airlines through third party maintenance contracts. The division can manage and implement all aspects of aircraft engineering support, such as maintenance, safety and logistics. It also has an engine test cell facility. It also occupies the Emirates Engineering Centre which opened in late 2006 on a site at
Dubai International Airport Dubai International Airport () is the primary international airport serving Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic as of 2024. It is also the busiest airport in the Middle East as ...
. Its eleven hangars for heavy and light maintenance, together with a paint hangar, cover an area equivalent to 17 football pitches and have the capacity to meet the service requirements of an Emirates fleet which is growing at the rate one new aircraft every month. Each
hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...
has an entrance gate 88 metres wide and every bay can accommodate any size of aircraft with an engine thrust of up to 150,000 pounds, including the Airbus A380, which is 73 metres long with an 80-metre wingspan and a tail 24 metres high.


Flight catering

;Emirates Flight Catering Emirates Flight Catering Company has over 11,000 employees and provides in-flight catering and support services for airlines at
Dubai International Airport Dubai International Airport () is the primary international airport serving Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic as of 2024. It is also the busiest airport in the Middle East as ...
. It provides catering for all Emirates flights from Dubai, and also for other airlines operating at the airport. In 2009, Emirates was voted by
Skytrax Skytrax (originally known as Inflight Research Services) is a United Kingdom–based consultancy headquartered in London that runs an airline and airport review website. Services Skytrax conducts research for commercial airlines, as well as t ...
, the fourth best onboard catering in
Business Class Business class is a travel class available on many commercial airlines and rail lines, known by brand names that vary by airline or rail company. In the airline industry, it was originally intended as an intermediate level of service between e ...
, and second best catering in Economy Class. The catering facility servicing the airline's flights has a design capacity of 225,000 meal tray set-ups per day. The company provided over 55 million meals in 2017. The daily average meal uplift was 180,000. ;Alpha Flight Services Pty Ltd (Australia) , section, date=February 2019 Alpha Flight Services is a leading onboard catering operator and has been supplying all Emirates airline flights departing Australia since 2008. Emirates Group has a 49 per cent interest in the company, which provides in-flight catering at nine airports in Australia, including all major international gateways, serving 16 customer airlines with over seven million meals a year.


IT

Mercator was the IT division of the Emirates Group. It was launched in 1995 to serve the business technology requirements of Emirates and Dnata; later on not only provided to the Emirates Group companies, but also to other airlines and businesses. 2014 it was announced that the equity firm
Warburg Pincus Warburg Pincus LLC is a global private equity firm, headquartered in New York City, with offices in the United States, Europe, Brazil, China, Southeast Asia and India. Warburg has been a private equity investor since 1966. As of April 2024 the f ...
acquired a majority stake of Mercator and that Dnata would still hold a minority stake. Mercator merged in 2017 with the Spanish aviation company Accelya and will operate under the latter name. Previous majority shareholder of Mercator, Warburg Pincus, is also the majority shareholder of the new company.


Retail

;Emirates High Street Emirates High Street is an online store which stocks over 400 products, such as luxury goods, electronics, and holiday packages. Customers use Skywards Miles, earned by members of Emirates airline's frequent flyer loyalty scheme, to buy products. ;Emirates Leisure Retail Emirates Leisure Retail's core business is establishing, managing and franchising restaurants, cafes, bars and leisure facilities in the GCC. ;Emirates Official Store Emirates Official Store is the official store of Emirates Airlines, which stocks products, such as airplane models, souvenirs, and Emirates themed retail. Customers pay for products in
UAE Dirham The dirham (; , abbreviation: د.إ in Arabic, Dh (singular) and Dhs (plural) or DH in Latin; ISO code: AED) is the official currency of the United Arab Emirates. The dirham is subdivided into 100 . It is pegged to the United States Dollar at ...
s,
US Dollar The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...
s, or use Skywards Miles, earned by members of Emirates airline's frequent flyer loyalty scheme, to buy products. It is available online and in 3 outlets across Dubai and
Dubai International Airport Dubai International Airport () is the primary international airport serving Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic as of 2024. It is also the busiest airport in the Middle East as ...
's Terminal 3. ;Sirocco Sirocco is a joint venture between Emirates and
Heineken Heineken Lager Beer (), or simply Heineken (), is a Dutch pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 February 1864, ...
International which manages the sales and marketing of a range of beverages in the Middle East. It handles brands such as Heineken,
Amstel Light Amstel Brewery ( ) is a Dutch brewery founded in 1870 on the Mauritskade in Amsterdam. It was taken over by Heineken International in 1968, and the brewing plant closed down in 1982, with production moving to the main Heineken plant at Zoeter ...
,
Budweiser Budweiser () is an American-style pale lager, a brand of Belgian company AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States. Budweiser is a filte ...
,
Tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...
, Carling and Sol, and – following Heineken's acquisition of Scottish & Newcastle – Bulmers and Strongbow. With a market share of 60% in Dubai, it is the leading operator in the
UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...
, as well as
Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...
,
Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...
and
Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...
.


Risk management and security

;Emirates Group Security Emirates Group Security is an organization that is responsible for security measures throughout the Emirates network. It covers all Dubai passengers and cargo terminal users, company facilities and staff accommodation. Emirates Group Security also investigates theft, document fraud, misappropriation and all breaches of security against the interests of the company and its customers. ;Transguard Group Transguard Group is a security services provider in the Middle East with an annual turnover exceeding AED600 million and more than 38,000 full-time employees. It is also one of the region's largest operators in business support services, facilities management, cash management, security technology, training, events management and airport services. Established in 2001 as a support service provider to the numerous brands operating under the Emirates Group. Its cash management business operates from the company's headquarters in Dubai's Airport Freezone which also houses the largest cash processing facility in the region, while an additional facility was recently opened in Abu Dhabi.


Tour operator and events management

;Congress Solutions International The company is a subsidiary of Emirates providing administrative support, managing data, and coordinating third party suppliers such as venues,
catering Catering is the business of providing food services at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, hospital, pub, aircraft, cruise ship, park, festival, filming location or film studio. History of catering The earliest account of major service ...
, and accommodation. It deals with conferences and provides support to delegates, as well as providing leisure and recreational activities for visiting delegates. CSI has hosted large events such as the Global Travel and Tourism Council, which around 1,300 delegates attended. It also hosted on behalf of the
World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...
and the government of Dubai, a summit on the Global Agenda attended by 700 business, government and academia representatives. ;Gulf Ventures Is another tourist company in the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
and
Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...
. ;Arabian Adventures Arabian Adventures is a destination management company, providing services to different tour operators, incentive houses, meeting organisers, businesses and cruise lines.


Travel

;Emirates Holidays Emirates Holidays is the tour operating arm of Emirates. Emirates Holidays top destinations are
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
,
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
,
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
, the
Maldives The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...
,
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
and
Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
. ;EmQuest EmQuest provides electronic distribution products and services to different firms, connecting suppliers with resellers and giving them a platform to exchange content and trade with one another. It manages a large network of brands, content and services for tour operators, travel agents, car rental companies, hotels and airlines throughout the Middle East and Africa. Global Distribution Systems (GDS) are a key line of business and EmQuest works with Sabre Holdings to manage the distribution, sales, service and support of Sabre GDS in the UAE, as well as five African markets, including South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Prior to this, EmQuest was known as Galileo Emirates and distributed products in the UAE, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar.


Air cargo support services

;Calogi Calogi is an internet service portal for air cargo businesses. ;Cargo Partners Cargo Partners is the sales and services arm of
Dnata Dubai National Air Travel Agency () (commonly known as dnata) is an Emirati airport services provider which provides aircraft ground handling, cargo, travel, and flight catering services across five continents. History The company dnata was ...
Cargo and offers support to more than a quarter of all the airlines operating out of
Dubai International Airport Dubai International Airport () is the primary international airport serving Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic as of 2024. It is also the busiest airport in the Middle East as ...
. It manages export sales and local operations on behalf of more than 30 carriers. ;Dnata-PWC Airport Logistics LLC Dnata-PWC Airport Logistics LLC provides cargo transport services for both local and international customers, including Emirates Sky Cargo,
British Airways British Airways plc (BA) is the flag carrier of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main Airline hub, hub at Heathrow Airport. The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and pass ...
and
Singapore Airlines Singapore Airlines (abbreviation: SIA or SQ) is the flag carrier of Singapore with its Airline hub, hub located at Changi Airport. Considered to be one of the world's best carriers, the airline is ranked as a 5-star airline as well as ranked ...
. The joint venture between Dnata and Public Warehousing Corporation Kuwait specialises in road haulage, with both heavy and light trucks that are designed for air cargo.


Freight forwarding and logistics

;Dnata Logistics Dnata logistics (previously Freightworks) is an international freight forwarder and logistics provider, located in Dubai (UAE). ;SDV-UAE LLC SDV-UAE LLC is one of the transport providers in the Middle East.


Hotels and resorts

As of 1 November 2007, the Emirates Group has launched the first of the Emirates Hotels & Resorts Residences with The Harbour Hotel & Residence. This is a hotel and residential tower located in
Dubai Marina Dubai Marina (), also known as Marsa Dubai, is a district in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is built around an artificially constructed canal along a stretch of the Persian Gulf shoreline. In 2018 it had a population of 55,052. The district ...
. It is the first of six international properties expected to open in 2008.


Loyalty programs

;Emirates Loyalty Services Emirates Loyalty Services is a consultancy subsidiary of Emirates' Skywards frequent flyer programme. ;Emirates Skywards Emirates Skywards is a four tier frequent flier program operated by Emirates. It is used by over 8.4 million customers. The three main tiers are Blue; Silver, which requires 25,000 tier miles for entry; and Gold, which requires 50,000 tier miles. There is a fourth tier named Platinum and requires 150,000 tier miles. There is an additional membership known as Invitation Only or "IO" where you must be invited to this small group of members. The benefits provided are over and above the Platinum benefits.


Training

;Emirates Aviation University The Aviation University located in Al Garhoud, and in Academic City is an education and training facility for the airline industry. The college opened in 1991, and was transitioned to a university in April 2014. The newer campus that is located in Academic City opened in January 2015. It offers professional academic and vocational training programmes. More than 1700 aerospace engineers and technicians and 2000 air traffic controllers have graduated from the college, while the number of full-time students has increased from 300 to 1100 between the years 2004 and 2009. ;Emirates CAE Flight Training Emirates-CAE Flight Training provides aviation-related courses for commercial carriers in the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia, primarily aimed at flight deck crew and airline maintenance personnel. The joint venture between Emirates Group and CAE Inc of Canada is located in the Emirates Aviation University campus, near
Dubai International Airport Dubai International Airport () is the primary international airport serving Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic as of 2024. It is also the busiest airport in the Middle East as ...
. Emirates Aviation University now has a second campus in Academic City, DubaiLand. ECFT, as the joint venture is known, is the first facility of its kind in the Middle East to be qualified to both Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards. The 14-bay centre houses 10 full-flight simulators: two
Airbus A320 The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, Maiden flight, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first membe ...
/ACJs, an
Airbus A330 The Airbus A330 is a wide-body airliner developed and produced by Airbus. Airbus began developing larger A300 derivatives in the mid–1970s, giving rise to the A330 twinjet as well as the Airbus A340 quadjet, and launched both designs along ...
/340, a
Boeing 777 The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The 777 is the world's largest twinjet and the most-built wide-body airliner. ...
, two
Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is an American narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton factory in Washington (state), Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the t ...
NG/BBJs, a
Gulfstream IV The Gulfstream IV (or G-IV or GIV) and derivatives are a family of twinjet aircraft, mainly for private or Business jet, business use. They were designed and built by Gulfstream Aerospace, a General Dynamics company based in Savannah, Georgia, ...
and a Gulfstream V/550, a
Hawker 800 The Hawker 800 is a mid-size twinjet corporate aircraft. It is a development of the British Aerospace 125, and was assembled by Hawker Beechcraft. Development In April 1981, the British Aerospace (BAe) board sanctioned the programme to improve t ...
/800XP and a
Bell 412 The Bell 412 is a utility helicopter of the Huey family manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It is a development of the Bell 212, with the major difference being the composite four-blade main rotor. It is a twin-turbine helicopter that has been ...
helicopter simulator.


Key people

* HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum – Chairman and Chief Executive * Tim Clark (airline executive/president) * Gary Chapman – President Group Services


Shareholdings

The Emirates Group holds a 68.7% stake in Dubai-based Maritime and Mercantile International (MMI), formerly Gray Mackenzie. The company was founded in Basra, Iraq as Gray Paul & Co. and opened in Dubai in 1916 as Gray Mackenzie & Co. The company was renamed Maritime & Mercantile International in 1983 and became a subsidiary of the Emirates Group in 2000. Emirates also holds a 34.4% equity stake in Oman United Agencies and a 54.7% equity stake in Emirates Flight Catering. Emirates Flight Catering is the sole provider of airline and airport catering services at Dubai International Airport. Dnata owns 50% equity stakes in Dubai Express, Gerry's Dnata (Pvt.) Ltd. and Dnata Arabian Airport Services Co. Ltd, 49% equity stake in Safiran Dnata Airport Services PJSC, 40% stake in Emirates Loyalty Company and a 20% stake in
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is an international airport serving Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. The airport codes were inherited from the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (former), former Baiyun Airport, and the IATA code is de ...
Ground Handling Services Co. Ltd.


See also

*
Emirates (airline) Emirates is one of the two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates (the other being Etihad Airways). Based in Al Garhoud, Garhoud, Dubai, the airline is a subsidiary of The Emirates Group, which is owned by the government of Dubai's Invest ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Emirates Group, The Airlines established in 1959 Holding companies of the United Arab Emirates Government-owned airlines Multinational companies headquartered in the United Arab Emirates