Emirates Evolutionary Timeline
Courtesy Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 13, 2014, page 36-39, in an article by Jens Flottau, Frankfurt.
Edited by David Barth 21 March 2014.
Emirates flies to 142 destinations in 78 countries, across six continents from its hub in Dubai. It has a particularly strong presence
in the South and Southeast Asian region, which together connect Dubai with more international destinations in the region than any other
Middle Eastern airline. The countries with the largest number of airports served by Emirates are shown in the table, below.
| COUNTRIES WITH LARGEST NUMBER OF AIRPORTS SERVED BY EMIRATES |
|---|
| COUNTRY | NUMBER OF AIRPORTS SERVED |
|---|
| India | 10 |
| United States | 8 |
| United Kingdom | 6 |
| Australia | 5 |
| Pakistan | 5 |
Emirates is an airline based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The airline is a subsidiary of The Emirates Group, which is wholly owned by the government of Dubai's
Investment Corporation of Dubai. It is the largest airline in the Middle East, operating nearly 3,400 flights per week from its hub at Dubai International Airport,
to more than 133 cities in 74 countries across six continents. Cargo activities are undertaken by the Emirates Group's Emirates SkyCargo division.
The airline ranks among the top 10 carriers worldwide in terms of passenger-kilometers, and has become the largest airline in the Middle East in terms of revenue,
fleet size, and passengers carried as of 2007. In 2012 the airline was the fourth-largest airline in the world in terms of international passengers carried
and scheduled passenger-kilometers flown. The airline was the third-largest in terms of scheduled freight ton-kilometers flown. The company also operates
four of the world's longest non-stop commercial flights from Dubai to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Houston.
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. It was required to operate independent of government subsidies,
apart from $10 million in start-up capital.
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
to sustain its rapid expansion and growth plans.
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, at the center
of which is the Boeing 777. Emirates also has orders for 140 Airbus A380s and became the second operator of the type after Singapore Airlines. Emirates is an
industry bellwether for aircraft purchases, having purchased 200 aircraft in 2013 alone.
| EMIRATES EVOLUTIONARY TIMELINE
|
|---|
| YEAR | EVENT(S) |
|---|
| 1984 | 10 people team up to write a business plan for a Dubai-based airline. |
| 1985 | Airline is launched with an A300 and 737. Karachi, Mumbai, and New Delhi are first destinations. |
| 1986 | Amman, Jordan; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Cairo; and Dhaka, Bangladesh routes are added. Airline posts first and only loss. |
| 1987 | Emirates takes delivery of first new plane: A310-300. |
| 1989 | New routes to Singapore, Manila, and Bankok. |
| 1991 | Emirates grounds fleet as war to liberate Kuwait begins. Gets its first slot at London Heathrow. Orders 7 777s. |
| 1992 | Emirates is first airline to install inflight entertainment in every seat. Receives approval to fly to Paris. |
| 1995 | After 10 years, flies to 34 destinations. Begins services to Johannesburg and Nairobi. Opens flight training center in Dubai. |
| 1996 | Introduces its first 777-200. |
| 1997 | Adds 6 more 777-200s. Orders 16 A330-200s for $2 billion. |
| 1998 | Takes 43% stake in SriLankan Airlines. Grows by 26%. |
| 1999 | First A330-200 delivered. |
| 2000 | Is first airline to order A380. Orders 7 of them. Orders more 777-300s. |
| 2001 | Orders 15 more A380s, 25 777s, 8 A340-600s, 3 A330s. |
| 2003 | Tim Clark becomes president. At Paris Air Show, orders 71 widebodies, largest order in history. |
| 2004 | Begins flying to North America (JFK). |
| 2005 | Orders 42 more 777s. |
| 2006 | Orders 10 747-8F freighters. |
| 2007 | Begins flying to Latin America (Sao Paulo, Brazil). |
| 2008 | Terminal 3 opens at Dubai International. |
| 2009 | Becomes world's largest 777 operator. |
| 2010 | Orders 32 A380s and 30 777-300ERs (extended range). |
| 2011 | Orders 50 more 777-300ERs. |
| 2013 | Orders 150 777Xs and 50 more A380s. |