شعار الإمارات
Omaima Stern
Emirates Aviation (Arabic: طَيَران الإمارات DMG: Ṭayarān Al-Imārāt) 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 Corporation of Dubai.[3] It is the largest airline in the Middle East,[4] operating over 3,600 flights per week from its hub at Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport. It operates to more than 150 cities in 80 countries across six continents on its fleet of nearly 300 aircraft.[5] Cargo activities are undertaken by Emirates SkyCargo.[6]
During the mid-1980s, Gulf Air began to cut back its services to Dubai. As a result, Emirates was founded on 15 March 1985, with backing from Dubai's royal family and its first two aircraft provided by Pakistan International Airlines. With $10 million in start-up capital, it was required to operate independently of government subsidies. Pakistan International Airlines also provided free training facilities to Emirates' cabin crew at Karachi Airport. The airline was founded by Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the airline's present chairman. In the years following its founding, the airline rapidly expanded both its fleet and its destinations. In October 2008, Emirates moved all of its operations at Dubai International Airport to Terminal 3.[8]
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).[9] As of December 2023[update], Emirates is the largest Airbus A380 operator with 123 aircraft in service.[10][11] 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 133 aircraft in service.[12]
During its early years, Emirates experienced strong growth, averaging 30% annually. The Gulf War helped boost business for the airline as it was the only airline to continue flying in the last ten days of the war. In 2000, the airline placed an order for a large number of aircraft, including the Boeing 777-300 and the Airbus A380, and also launched its frequent flyer program, Skywards.[13]
Since then, the airline has continued to expand its fleet and network, with a focus on operating flights to anywhere in the world via Dubai and competing with other major airlines on international routes. Its growth has attracted criticism from other carriers, who claim that the airline has unfair advantages and have called for an end to open-skies policies with the UAE as a result.[14][15] In 2017, Emirates "renewed its aircraft buying spree" and agreed to buy a number of Boeing's 787 Dreamliners for $15.1 billion. The Wall Street Journal described the deal as a "painful loss" for Airbus.[16] In 2023, Emirates ordered $50 billion of Boeing jets with their sister airline, flyDubai at the Dubai Airshow.[17] Emirates ordered 90 aircraft, including both versions of the new long-haul jet.[17]
The airline is a subsidiary of The Emirates Group, which is a subsidiary of the Dubai government's investment company, Investment Corporation of Dubai.[18][19][20] The airline has recorded a profit every year, except its second year, and the 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.[21]
In 2015, Emirates paid dividends worth AED2.6 billion (US$708 million), compared to AED1 billion (US$272 million) in 2014.[22] The government has received AED14.6 billion from Emirates since dividends started being paid in 1999 for having provided an initial start-up capital of US$10 million and an additional investment of about US$80 million at the time of the airline's inception.[23] The Dubai government is the sole owner of the company, but it does not put any new money into it, nor does it interfere with running the airline.[21]
Emirates provides its employees with benefits such as comprehensive health plans and paid maternity and sick leave. Another strategy employed by Emirates is to use profit sharing and merit pay as part of its competency-based approach to performance management.[26] In 2023 and 2024, the group awarded its employees hefty bonuses as their share of the company's profits earned in those years. In 2023 employees got 24 weeks of pay[27] as they bonus and in 2024 they received 20 weeks of pay.[28]
In the 1990s, Emirates launched its first set of commercials all with the slogan "So be good to yourself, Fly Emirates". In 1999, it launched a very rare A330-200 commercial with different pictures showing the aircraft painted in the original livery and the livery used from 1999 until 2023, which was launched a few months prior.
Commercials reappeared beginning in 2002 and the airline adopted the slogan "Fly Emirates. Keep Discovering" in 2004. In the 2010s, Emirates utilised multiple slogans in its advertising including "Fly Emirates. Keep Discovering", "Fly Emirates To over Six Continents", and "Hello Tomorrow".[37] Emirates currently uses the slogan "Fly Better".
Emirates introduced a new uniform design in August 2008 for its 16,000 staff, designed by Simon Jersey. The offboard uniform includes the Emirates hat, red kick-pleats in the skirts, more fitted blouses, and the return of red leather shoes and handbags. For the onboard uniform, male and female cabin crew wear service waistcoats in place of the previously worn service jackets and tabards. The male flight attendants wear a chocolate brown suit, featuring pinstripes, with a cream shirt and caramel, honey, and red tie. Both male and female pursers wear this chocolate brown color, but with no red featured.[38]
Since its formation in 1985, Emirates aircraft have carried a section of the United Arab Emirates flag on the tail fins, a calligraphy version of the logo in Arabic on the engines, and the "Emirates" logo on the fuselage both in Arabic and English. The colour scheme used since 1985 was changed in November 1999. This change including the modification of logotype, the enlargement and movement of the English logo (the Arabic remaining smaller) towards the front of the aircraft, and a different, flowing flag on the tailfin.[39]
In 2022, Emirates launched two commercials featuring a flight attendant standing on the spire of the Burj Khalifa. The first commercial was about the UAE moving to the UK's Amber list in the wake of the COVID-19 travel restrictions. The second commercial was to promote the Expo 2020 event with an Airbus A380, painted in a special livery, circling the woman. The woman in the videos was actually a qualified stuntwoman dressed as an Emirates flight attendant.[40]
Since 2015, Emirates has sponsored the England-based Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth on the south coast.[42] The airline had 3.5 million worth of plans to paint the landmark red, but after discussion with the residents of Portsmouth and Southsea, Emirates agreed the tower was to be coloured blue and gold, with red lettering of the Emirates sponsor,[43] for the reason that Portsmouth F.C. (the local football team) is coloured blue and rival football team Southampton F.C. is coloured red. It is now named "Emirates Spinnaker Tower".
Emirates sponsors Cricket Australia,[44] Lord's Taverners,[45] and Pro Arch Tournament.[46] Its branding also features on international cricket umpires shirts.[47] Emirates was also an official partner of the International Cricket Council. The deal gives Emirates association with all major ICC tournaments, including the 2011, 2015, and 2019 ICC Cricket World Cups, ICC Champions Trophy, and ICC World Twenty20.[48]
Emirates is the Twenty20 shirt sponsor of Durham County Cricket Club and holds the naming rights to the Riverside Ground, now known as Emirates Riverside, as well as the naming rights to the Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground, and is the shirt sponsor of Lancashire County Cricket Club. Emirates was also the major sponsor of the Kings XI Punjab (seasons two-four) and Deccan Chargers (season five) the teams of the Indian Premier League, the largest domestic cricket tournament in the world.
Emirates was a sponsor of FIFA and the FIFA World Cup, but stopped its sponsorship in early 2015 because of allegations of corruption and bribery within FIFA, as well as FIFA's controversial decision to award the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Qatar.[49]
In August 2009 the Scottish Junior Football Association announced that Emirates would sponsor its Scottish Cup competition.[55] Emirates is the sponsor of Asian Football Confederation travel and play, in AFC Champions League and AFF Suzuki Cup.
Since 2015, Emirates has been also the sponsor of the Super Rugby South African team the Lions, as well as having the naming rights of the team and Ellis Park rugby stadium. It is also the main sponsor of USA Rugby.[57]
On 23 September 2019, Emirates partnered with Beirut Basketball Club to sponsor their 2019-2020 season, the deal included branding opportunities during televised matches, social media activation rights and game ticket allocations.[58] The season was later canceled amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Emirates later signed a multi-year sponsorship with the club in September 2023 becoming its official airline and jersey sponsor for the next three seasons.[59]
On 8 February 2024, Emirates signed a multi year partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA) to become the official airline of the league, this deal also includes getting the naming rights for the NBA Cup, becoming the Emirates NBA Cup starting in the 2024 season. This deal also will see a Emirates patch come onto NBA referee jerseys[60]
In horse racing, Emirates sponsors the Dubai International Racing Carnival. It sponsored the Australian Turf Club's Autumn and Spring Carnival until 2011, and the Melbourne Cup Carnival from 2003 until 2017.[61][62]
Emirates is also a regular sponsor of the equestrian sport showjumping, notably at events in Dubai with the CSI5* Emirates Airline Dubai Grand Prix, and with the Longines Masters series, which currently runs CSI5* competitions in Hong Kong, Paris, and New York (formerly held in Los Angeles).
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