(Asia's Airlines) Starting from just two wet-leased planes, Emirates has transformed itself within a few decades to become a global airline connecting the world.
You are on a plane approaching Dubai at 2 in the morning. While the rest of the city is asleep, you arrive to another typical busy night and early morning at the Dubai International Airport. Once you deplane, you look for signs to help you get to your next flight. After finding the transit security check, you are then on your way to the next gate where many others arrive from other parts of the world. The airline you are flying with is Emirates.
If you have flown with Emirates, this story is likely very familiar. Known for its inflight products, the Dubai-based carrier is a modern day global airline which has helped transform the Gulf city of Dubai to become the busiest international air travel hub. From Dubai, you can board a flight and fly to very much anywhere around the world outside the polar regions. While it is a prominent airline, it had a recent start compared to most legacy carrier counterparts. The story of Emirates will highlight its rapid rise to prominence from a small Gulf airline to become a global airline, and how it helped transform Dubai to become a major global connecting hub.
“Look good, be good, make money”
Long before the Dubai International Airport and the superjumbos, early 20th century Dubai is one of the seven emirates and was a British protectorate which would later become part of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). From the 1930s until the post-World War II period, flying boats was the primary air travel method to the city. It would not be until 1959 when the the airfield that would become the Dubai International Airport would open for operations. Starting with just one runway and a terminal building, the airport would be expanded over the decades. However, the city of Dubai nor the UAE had its own airline.
Image: Dubai International Airport ~1970s (Credit: Dubai International Airport)
The foundation for the airline Emirates is today would not be laid until the 1980s. Leading the effort to form a new Dubai-based airline was Dubai's Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum. While the Sheikh pledged the support of the Dubai government and royal family for the venture, the new airline would operate independently and not take government subsidies. To lead the airline, Maurice Flanagan – then the Managing Director of Dubai-based ground services company dnata – would be selected to become the airline's first CEO. After securing a USD $10 billion investment in 1985, the mandate was simple but easier said than done - “look good, be good, and make money.” The airline would take the name as a tribute to its origin - “Emirates.”
Rapid Rise
Early on, Emirates would get assistance from another Middle East carrier – Pakistan International Airlines. The newly formed Emirates would secure two wet leased aircraft from the Pakistan-based carrier – a Boeing 737 and an Airbus A300B4. Using the two newly acquired aircraft, Emirates' launched its first flights – from Dubai to Karachi, Pakistan and Mumbai, India - on October 25, 1985.
Image: First two flights of Emirates at Dubai International Airport, October 25, 1985 (Credit: Emirates)
Emirates would then expand its network to destinations in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. Then, it would take delivery of its first fully-owned aircraft - an Airbus A310 – in 1987. Within the first five years from its launch, Emirates would operate flights to 14 destinations including Frankfurt – the airline's first destination in Europe. While growing its network, Emirates also began to introduce inflight features such as inflight entertainment for all seats and phone/fax services.
In the 1990s, Emirates made two major moves that would shape its future. First, a new passenger terminal at Dubai International Airport – Terminal 2 – would be built as the airline would benefit from further upgrades at its hub. The second move was the initial order for 7 Boeing 777s in 1992 – the aircraft that would become a primary workhorse for Emirates even to this day. Emirates would continue to expand its network to 50 destinations including cities in Africa, Europe, and more points in Asia such as Singapore, Manila, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, Munich, and Jakarta. The airline also offered flights to both of London's main hubs – Heathrow and Gatwick. It would further expand its network with its first flights to Australia with the addition of Melbourne in 1996.
As it expanded its network, Emirates began to make major investments that would help further its growth in the 2000s. At the 2000 Farnborough Airshow, Emirates made headlines with an order for Airbus A380 superjumbos. Emirates also continued to invest in Boeing 777s with an order for 42 of the widebody jets in 2005. Worth around USD $9.7 billion, that order was the largest for the widebody jets at the time. New destinations continued to be added including cities in United States, China, and New Zealand, and Terminal 3 would become the new base of the airline at Dubai International Airport in the late 2000s.
Image: Emirates Boeing 777-300ER (Credit: Emirates)
Within three decades, Emirates truly became a global airline by the 2010s. From Dubai, the airline continued to grow its fleet of Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s, offer more connections between continents, and began to push the boundaries of long distance air travel. Among some of the record routes the airline would launch included services from Dubai to Auckland and Los Angeles. While expanding its passenger flight operations, its cargo division – Emirates SkyCargo – also grew. The airline would shift its dedicated cargo division to Dubai's second built airport – Dubai World Central - in the mid 2010s. Back in the skies, the airline would innovate with its inflight amenities such as the “game changer” First Class private suites, inflight bar, and showers in an aircraft.
Pandemic Pause, and Post-Pandemic Boom
Before the COVID-19 pandemic and the pause in global air travel as a result, Emirates had already established itself as one of the most recognizable airline brands in the world. The sight of an Emirates aircraft – especially an A380 – would be an event. To support its growth well into the future, Emirates ordered Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, the 777X – the next generation of the 777 aircraft - and Airbus A350s. The success of Emirates contributed to the success of Dubai and its airport. By the end of the 2020s, Dubai had become the world's busiest airport in terms of international passenger traffic
Early during the pandemic, Emirates would play a prominent role in air freight services to support the delivery of essential goods. While most of the world's airline operations would be grounded for a longer period of time, Emirates was one of the few airlines that continued to serve international transit travel. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, Emirates was the largest international airline serving 15.8 million passengers despite heavy global restrictions on air travel. As global air travel gradually resumed, Emirates would be a key factor in the rapid post-pandemic recovery of Dubai International Airport, which served 87 million passengers in 2023 – exceeding its record traffic numbers prior to the pandemic.
Emirates Today
At present Emirates continues to build upon its success, with thousands of passengers passing through its hub at Dubai International Airport going to any one of its 134 destinations (passenger flights) worldwide in 76 countries and territories. The airline carried 43.6 million passengers in 2023 with a load factor of nearly 80%, while carrying 1.8 million tonnes of cargo.
Emirates operates a fleet of 260 widebody aircraft (as of December 2023). While other airlines are in the process of retiring or have retired their Airbus A380s, Emirates counters this trend being the largest operator of the superjumbos with 116 of the flagship aircraft in service. While the A380 is the flagship, Emirates' continues to rely on its 777s as it has since its first delivery to the airline in 1992. The airline is also the largest operator of 777 with 143 of the widebody jets – including 11 777 Freighters. Looking towards the future, Emirates awaits the delivery of over 300 aircraft including Boeing 787s, Airbus A350s, and the 777X.
Image: Artist depiction of future Emirates Boeing aircraft on order - 777X and 787s (Credit: Emirates)
Emirates has set itself apart from most other airlines in terms of inflight products and a diverse workforce. Travelers from around the world continue to pay premium or use their airline points to experience private First Class suites with access to an inflight bar and shower. While most other global airlines hire locally, Emirates mounts recruiting campaigns to hire pilots and flight attendants from around the world. As a result, it is very common on Emirates flights to have flight attendants and pilots in the cockpit and cabin from different countries, diverse backgrounds, and with abilities to communicate in different languages.
All routes lead to Dubai
Once a fishing village along the Persian Gulf, Dubai has transformed itself to become a major hub in the Gulf and the Middle East. This is something that Emirates has capitalized on as it transformed itself from an airline with just two aircraft to a global airline with a fleet of 260 aircraft flying across the world. Since the founding of Emirates, the UAE would later see the launch of a second airline this time based at Abu Dhabi – Etihad – in 2003. Similar to Emirates, Etihad has also adopted a similar model of offering connecting travel to different cities around the world via Abu Dhabi. Both airlines capitalize on having the majority of the world's population living within an 8 hour flight from the UAE, while offering a premium inflight experience. Emirates is an airline model that other Middle East carriers have and are trying to emulate.
As the aviation industry is shifting from the hub system to offer point-to-point travel, Emirates continues to operate successfully from its lone hub at Dubai. Flying with the airline is still an experience many seek – especially onboard their A380s. The airline is a product of modern air travel – flying farther, opening new connections, with a diverse group of passengers, crew, and staff. While the airlines continues to fly farther, all routes lead to Dubai.
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