Just over twenty years ago, Emirates was born as the official international airline of the United Arab Emirates.

On 25th October 1985, Emirates flew its first routes out of Dubai with just two aircraft—a leased Boeing 737 and Airbus 300 B4. Then as now, our goal was quality, not quantity, and in the years since taking those first small steps onto the regional travel scene, Emirates has evolved into a globally influential travel and tourism conglomerate known the world over for our commitment to the highest standards of quality in every aspect of our business.

Though wholly owned by the Government of Dubai, Emirates has grown in scale and stature not through protectionism but through competition—competition with the ever-growing number of international carriers that take advantage of Dubai’s open-skies policy. Not only do we support that policy, but we see it as vital to maintaining our identity and our competitiveness. After making its initial start-up investment, the Government of Dubai saw fit to treat Emirates as a wholly independent business entity, and today we are thriving because of it. Our growth has never been lower than 20 per cent annually, and the airline has recorded an annual profit in every year since its third in operation.

Continuing our explosive growth while continually striving to provide the best service in the industry is the secret of Emirates’ success. The airline’s business includes:

• An award winning international cargo division
• A full-fledged destination management and leisure division
• An international ground-handler
• An airline IT developer.