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.[3] It is the largest airline in the Middle East, [4] operating over 3, 600 flights per week from its hub at Dubai International Airport, to more than 154 cities in 81 countries across six continents.[5] Cargo activities are undertaken by Emirates SkyCargo.[6]
Emirates is the world’s fourth largest airline by scheduled revenue passenger-kilometers flown, [7] the fourth-largest in terms of international passengers carried, [8] and the second-largest in terms of freight tonne kilometers flown. Emirates launched the longest non-stop commercial flight from Dubai to Auckland on 1 March 2016.
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. With$10 million in start-up capital it was required to operate independently of government subsidy. Pakistan International Airlines provided training facilities to Emirates’ cabin crew in its academy. 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.[9]
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. As of September 2016, Emirates is the largest Airbus A380 operator with 83 planes in service and a further 59 in orders. Since their induction, Airbus A380 planes have become an integral part of Emirates fleet, especially on long-haul heavily trafficked routes. Emirates also has orders for 150 Boeing 777X and 32 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, and is the world’s largest Boeing 777 operator.
The airline is a subsidiary of The Emirates Group, which itself is a subsidiary of the Dubai government’s investment company, Investment Corporation of Dubai.[72][73][74] The airline has recorded a profit every year, except the second, and 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.[75]
In 2015 Emirates paid dividends worth AED2.6 billion(US$708 million), compared to AED1 billion(US$272 million) in 2014.[76] The government has received Dhs14.6 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.[77] The Dubai government is the sole owner of the company. However, it does not put any new money into it, nor does it interfere with running the airline.[75]
Emirates has diversified into related industries and sectors, including airport services, engineering, hospitality services, catering, and tour operator operations. Emirates has seven subsidiaries and its parent company has more than 50.[78][79] The company employed a total of 38, 797 staff at the end of the fiscal year on 31 March 2011.[80] Its parent company, The Emirates Group, employed a total of 50.000 employees of which 10, 785 were cabin crew, 2, 237 were flight deck crew, 1, 904 were in engineering, and 9, 084 were listed as other.[81]
The primary focus for Emirates and its employees is to deliver superior customer service. In turn, 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 their competency based approach to performance management.