Emirates is an international airline. It is the largest airline in, and also the flag carrier of, the United Arab Emirates. Based in Garhoud, Dubai, the airline is a subsidiary of The Emirates Group, which is owned by the government of Dubai’s Investment Corporation of Dubai. It is also the largest airline in the Middle East, operating over 3,600 flights per week from its hub at Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport before the COVID-19 pandemic. It operates to more than 150 cities in 80 countries across six continents through its fleet of nearly 300 aircraft. Cargo activities are undertaken by Emirates SkyCargo.
Emirates is the world’s fourth largest airline by scheduled revenue passenger-kilometers flown, and the second-largest in terms of freight tonne kilometers flown.
During the mid-1980s, Gulf Air began to cut back its services to Dubai. As a result, Emirates was conceived in March 1985 with backing from Dubai’s royal family, with Pakistan International Airlines providing two of the airline’s first aircraft on wet-lease. With $10 million in start-up capital it was required to operate independently of government subsidy. Pakistan International Airlines provided training facilities to Emirates’ cabin crew at its academy. The airline was headed by Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the airline’s present chairman. In the years following its founding, the airline expanded both its fleet and its destinations. In October 2008, Emirates moved all operations at Dubai International Airport to Terminal 3.
Emirates operates a mixed fleet of Airbus and Boeing wide-body aircraft and is one of the few airlines to operate an all-wide-body aircraft fleet (excluding Emirates Executive). As of December 2020, Emirates is the largest Airbus A380 operator with 117 aircraft in service and a further 5 on order. Since its introduction, the Airbus A380 has become an integral part of the Emirates fleet, especially on long-haul, high-density routes. Emirates is also the world’s largest Boeing 777 operator with 155 aircraft in service. The company slogans have included Fly Emirates, Be good to yourself, From Dubai to destinations around the world, Keep Discovering, The finest in the sky, Hello Tomorrow, and is currently Fly Emirates, Fly Better.