As we continue our series on airlines, we’ll cover Emirates Airlines, the biggest airline in the Middle East.

IATA: EK, ICAO: UAE

Part 5; Emirates airline:

Emirates is one of the United Arab Emirates’ two flag carriers (the other being Etihad). The Emirates Group, which is owned by the government of Dubai’s Investment Corporation of Dubai, is the holding company of the airline.
Its headquarters is in Garhoud, Dubai.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, it ran over 3,600 flights a week out of its hub at Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport. It runs a fleet of almost 300 aircraft that travels to more than 150 cities in 80 countries across six continents.

Facts about the airline:

1. Emirates doesn’t belong to any alliances.
   Although Emirates has worked with other airlines, it is not a part of the Oneworld, SkyTeam, or Star Alliance global airline alliances.
2. The $4.5 billion Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport was constructed specifically for use by Emirates and opened on October 14, 2008.
3. Emirates employs more than 10,785 cabin crew members from more than 120 nations who speak more than 80 languages.
4. The firm runs four of the world’s longest non-stop commercial flights from Dubai (United Arab Emirates) to Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Dallas, and Los Angeles in the United States.
5. It is one of the major sponsors of cricket. They support numerous organizations, including Lancashire County Cricket Club, Lord’s Taverners, Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Durham County Cricket Club, and the Pro Arch Tournament.
6. The Dubai-based carrier is quite well-known, and in 2016 the brand alone was valued at USD 7 billion USD. But in 2001, 2002, 2013, and 2015, Skytrax was named the airline Airline of the Year. It is the highest award a carrier could ever get.
7. The world’s largest wide-body fleet
   One of the few airlines operating only wide-body aircraft is Emirates. In actuality, the Gulf carrier only operates the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 777. The largest operator of both types of aircraft worldwide is Emirates.
8. Dubai to Kuwait has the shortest Emirates A380 trip (851 kilometers).
   Dubai to Auckland is the distance of the longest Emirates A380 flight (14,193 kilometers)
9. The A380s of Emirates’ sponsored teams Arsenal FC, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and AC Milan all sported distinctive liveries.

Logo:

The Arabic calligraphy for the airline’s logo is seen above. The English translation is shown below.
The smooth and graceful letters have their lines slightly angled to one side, giving the wordmark the appearance of delicate serifs.

The Emirate’s primary color, red, stands out strongly against a white background in the logo, conveying a sense of power, passion, and elegance. It also portrays the business as one that is continually expanding and going forward while valuing beauty, style, and traditions.

The UAE flag was displayed across the tail of the aircraft along with a fuselage in the livery.

Fleet info.

Its current fleet size is 265 aircraft
The fleet consists of 120 airbus planes and 145 Boeing

Aircraft types and their number:

Airbus A319-100: 1
Airbus A380-800: 119

Boeing 777-200: 10
Boeing 777-300er: 124
Boeing 777f: 11

History of the airline:

• In 1985, the Dubai royal family founded it. In October of that year, the airline operated its first trip from Dubai to Karachi, Pakistan.
• The establishment of the Emirates airline in the middle of the 1980s was greatly aided by Pakistan International Airlines, one of the best airlines in the world at the time, which gave the new company technical and administrative support as well as a brand-new Boeing 737-300 and an Airbus A300B4-200 as gifts.
• Two pre-owned Boeing 727-200 Adv. were also given to fly Emirates Airlines by the Dubai Royal Air Wing.
• Early in the 1990s, Emirates was one of the airlines with the highest revenue growth; it saw an increase of about US$100 million annually, reaching close to US$500 million in 1993. In the same year, the airline transported 68,000 tons of cargo in addition to 1.6 million passengers.
• By 1995, the airline had increased its fleet to eight Airbus A310s and six Airbus A300s, and its network had grown to include 37 cities across 30 nations. Six Boeing 777-200ER aircraft were delivered to the airline shortly after the first Boeing 777-200 arrived in 1996.
• 2004 saw the launch of Emirates’ new Airbus A340-500 nonstop service to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.
• Emirates received its 78th Boeing 777 in 2009, making it the largest Boeing 777 operator in the world.
• Emirates and Qantas announced their 10-year deal to form a powerful alliance on September 6, 2012
• Additionally, in November 2019, Emirates made an US$8.8 billion purchase for 30 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, with delivery set to begin in 2023.
• 2020 saw Emirates become one of the Expo event’s official prime partners. Emirates introduced a special livery in three colors (orange, green, and blue) to honor the occasion, each color standing for one of the event’s three themes: opportunity, sustainability, or mobility. One of its A380s was painted in a blue, “Join the Making of a New World” livery from nose to tail.

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirates_(airline)
• https://1000logos.net/emirates-logo/
• https://www.planespotters.net/airline/Emirates
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Emirates_(airline)
• https://www.gotravelyourway.com/2017/10/13/review-10-emirates-airlines-facts-you-should-know/
• https://traveljee.com/destination/asia/uae-asia/facts-about-emirates-airlines/
• https://jetlinemarvel.net/the-facts-you-didnt-know-about-emirates-100th-a380/
• Main Photo credit to : http://www.emirates.com