History of Emirates Airlines
Emirates Airlines is a subsidiary of The Emirates Group, a public international travel conglomerate based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Operating since 1985, Emirates Airlines now travels to 106 destinations across six continents, making it one of the largest airlines around today, voted fifth-best airline by research firm Skytrax.
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Conception and Origin
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Emirates Airlines first flew out of Dubai. Emirates Airlines was conceived in the mid-1980s, as a result of Gulf Air cutting back its services to Dubai. Backed by Dubai's royal family, Emirates Airlines flew its first flights out of the city with just two aircraft--a leased Boeing 737 and an Airbus 300 B4. The inaugural flight was from Dubai to Karachi, and took place on Oct. 25, 1985, with Bombay and Delhi the next destinations to be added to the airline's portfolio.
Achievements in the 1980's
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Cairo was added to the airline's destinations in the 1980's. Within the first nine months of its conception, Emirates Airlines was transporting 260,000 passengers and 10,000 tons of freight. Just a year later, in 1986, the airline had added a number of new destinations, such as Cairo and Columbo, and--in 1987--the airline began daily service to London Gatwick.
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Achievements in the 1990's
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Emirates expanded its fleet in the 1990s. By the early '90s, Emirates was one of the fastest-growing airlines in the world, with revenues increasing by around $100 million every year. By 1993 its revenue had increased to $500 million. By the mid-1990s, Emirates had entered into a partnership agreement with U.S. Airways, resulting in global flight services, flying to 32 destinations with a fleet of 15 aircraft. Through expansion in both passenger and cargo flights, Emirates expanded throughout this decade, carrying over 3 million passengers each year.
Recent History
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Emirates Airlines reports continual growth. In 2005, Emirates began flying non-stop to the John F. Kennedy airport in New York City, but it is Pakistan and India who receive the most traffic, operating over 185 flights a week across 10 Indian cities.
The airline's website reports that the growth of the airline has never been lower than 20 percent yearly, and ever since its third year, it has been recording an annual profit.
Current Growth
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Emirates has ordered over 50 Airbus craft. In October of 2008, Dubai International Airport's Terminal 3 opened, becoming the largest building in the world by floor space, over 370 acres. Once fully operational in 2011, it will have the annual capacity for 43 million passengers, to be flown to several destinations across the globe. The adjoining Concourse 3 development will be exclusively for the A380-800 Airbus aircraft, of which Emirates Airlines will have 58 in total when all orders are received.
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References
- Photo Credit jet engines and palms 2 image by Aaron Kohr from Fotolia.com dubai marina image by Handjani from Fotolia.com Cairo image by Oleg Gribanov from Fotolia.com yellow jet airliner image by Stephen Kirkby from Fotolia.com profit image by Michael Shake from Fotolia.com beluga image by berdoulat jerome from Fotolia.com
