Emirates
Emirates is one of the two flag carrier airlines of the United Arab Emirates (the other being Etihad Airways). Based in Al 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 the world's largest long haul airline as well as the largest airline in the Middle East, operating more than 3,600 flights per week from its hub at Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport. It operates in more than 150 cities in 80 countries across six continents on its fleet of over 250 aircraft. Cargo operations are undertaken by Emirates SkyCargo. Emirates is the world's third-largest airline by scheduled revenue passenger-kilometers flown. It is also 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 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.
Key facts
History
Emirates was founded in March 1985 with backing from Dubai's ruler, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
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 June 1991 shortly after the end of the hostilities caused by the Gulf War, Emirates finally managed to acquire slots at London Heathrow. In 1996, Emirates took delivery of its baseline Boeing 777-200, followed by the extended-range version in 1997 and in 1999 the Airbus A330-200 and Boeing 777-300. In 2000, the airline placed an order for a large number of aircraft, including the Boeing 777-300ER and the Airbus A380, and also launched its frequent flyer program, Skywards.
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. 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. In 2023, Emirates ordered $50 billion of Boeing jets with their sister airline, flyDubai at the Dubai Airshow. Emirates ordered 90 aircraft, including both versions of the new long-haul jet.
In April 2024, Emirates announced its plan to relocate its hub to Al Maktoum Airport (DWC) when the new airport is fully completed. In 2026, Emirates temporarily suspended operations due to the Iran War.
Its airports
Airports that list it on their own website
These airports include this airline in the carrier list on their official website.
Data from Wikidata (CC0) · summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
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This page was last updated on September 26, 2026
APA
Vuelopedia. (2026, September 26). Emirates. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/airline/emirates
MLA
“Emirates.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 26 Sept. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/airline/emirates. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.
Chicago
Vuelopedia. “Emirates.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified September 26, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/airline/emirates.
Harvard
Vuelopedia (2026) Emirates. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/airline/emirates (Accessed: 16 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{vuelopedia_en_airline_emirates,
author = {{Vuelopedia}},
title = {{Emirates}},
publisher = {Fundación Poderia},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-09-26},
url = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/airline/emirates},
howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/airline/emirates}},
urldate = {2026-10-16},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}Wikipedia
{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/airline/emirates |title=Emirates |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-09-26 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}Types it operates · 341 aircraft · 8 models
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