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The UAE is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. As the country draws closer to this important milestone, it’s worth tracing Dubai’s route from a secluded fishing village to today’s global aviation hub. No story about Dubai would be incomplete without mentioning Emirates airline, one of the largest airlines in the region. In 1984, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, then Minister of Defense of the UAE, asked Sir Maurice Flanagan, then Managing Director of dnata, to investigate the possibility of establishing an airline. By December of that year, a comprehensive business plan had been prepared and the name of the new airline was chosen as Emirates.
A year later, Flanagan received the ambitious goal of starting the airline in five months with $10 million in initial funding. No subsidies or air-political protections are provided under Dubai’s open sky policy. First Flight to Karachi Mumbai On 25 October 1985, Emirates made its first flight from Dubai to Karachi and Mumbai with Pakistan International Airlines’ Boeing 737 and Airbus 300 B4 aircraft. During its first five years of operation, Emirates has expanded its network to 14 destinations, including Mumbai, Delhi, Karachi, Amman, Colombo, Cairo, Dhaka, Male, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Damascus, Jeddah and Kuwait.
In the 1990s, air travel was more popular than ever.
As competition intensifies and customers grow, rates have come down. That same year, Dubai International Airport underwent major renovations and Emirates moved to a new $2 million departure terminal. from strength to strength The 1990-1991 US recession combined with the Gulf War wiped out demand for air travel and cost the industry $10 billion. This has been particularly hard on Gulf airlines, but Emirates recovered quickly, even ordering seven Boeing 777s with seven options. The airline’s financial strength became clear when it made its first acquisition in the form of a 43% stake in Air Lanka (later renamed SriLankan). Together with Emirates, Dubai’s position as a global hub has grown, with passenger numbers exceeding 11 million in 1999. That same year, Emirates carried 4.7 million passengers on 32 aircraft. world brand It wasn’t until the 2000s that Emirates became the global brand it is today. In fact, if you turn on every TV in the world, you can see the presence of the Emirates in commercials, in front of rugby World Cup referees, in Formula 1 or soccer jerseys. It is a testament to an airline’s marketing capabilities and reach.
Operationally, the airline was doing well.
Emirates airways became the first airline to register on the Airbus A380 at the Farnborough Air Show, ordering seven aircraft with an option for an additional five. The largest commercial aircraft in the world has been the flagship of the Emirates fleet for the past two decades. If that’s not enough, in late 2005, Emirates made history with 42 Boeing 777s worth $9.7 billion. This is the largest order for a Boeing 777 to date, and in 2008, Emirates Terminal 3 went into operation with 500,000 passengers in its first month of operation. From 2000 to 2010, the airline added 46 routes. the impact of infectious diseases Emirates, like its global competitors, has been hit hard by the pandemic. The company reported a loss of AED 14.1 billion in the first six months (from April) of fiscal year 202021. Despite the challenges, the airline has once again played an important role in helping Dubai achieve its goal of becoming a global vaccine hub. In October, the airline’s cargo arm, Emirates SkyCargo, announced that it would create the world’s largest certified airside distribution hub for the storage and distribution of these vaccines. Earlier this year, Emirates SkyCargo teamed up with three other Dubaib databases: DP World, International Humanitarian City and Dubai Airports to form the COVID19 Vaccine Alliance to rapidly deliver a COVID19 vaccine to developing countries via Dubai.
Indian Aid
Most recently, Emirates has installed a humanitarian airlift between Dubai and India, carrying essentials to support India as it struggles to control the country’s severe COVID-19 situation. The airline is offering free cargo capacity “subject to availability” on all flights to nine cities in India to help international non-governmental organizations quickly deliver aid where needed. “We will do our best to support the Indian people and help India rise again. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and CEO of Emirates, said: “Emirates has a long history of providing humanitarian aid and offers 95 weekly flights to nine destinations in India. We will provide regular and reliable whole-body relief deliveries through , in the statement.
Recovery from the pandemic
Emirates will rebuild nearly 90% of its pre-pandemic network by the end of July, with 880 weekly flights to 124 cities. Currently serving 115 passenger destinations. In July, the airline will resume flights to seven cities, including Venice, on July 1. Phuket, Nice, Orlando and Mexico City (2 July); Lyon (9 July) and Malta (14 July). Emirates also launches flights from July 22 to Miami, Florida’s second largest city and one of the world’s most popular vacation destinations.
