How Emirates rose above the clouds: A timeline

The UAE's strategic location has always given it a distinct advantage as a travel hub. This became clearer than ever when the first airport in Dubai was built in 1959. Seeing its success and anticipating the need for a local carrier, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, then UAE Minister of Defence, spoke to Sir Maurice Flanagan, then managing director of dnata, in 1984 about a national airline. It would be named simply ‘Emirates’.

A comprehensive business plan was made by that December. It would take another 10 months for the first flight to take off, but once it did, there was no looking back.

The initial investment: $10 million. The directive: “Look good, be good, and make money”. The next 40 years would see milestone after milestone met on this journey. Here we look at the decades past to understand the growth patterns of one of the UAE's national carriers, Emirates.

Emirates launched commercial operations on October 25, 1985, initially linking Dubai with Karachi and Mumbai. At this point, it had no planes of its own – it wet-leased a Boeing 737 and an Airbus 300 B4 from Pakistan International Airlines to make its maiden journey.

In subsequent years, the carrier grew rapidly with a disciplined, commercially focused model, cementing its network across the Middle East, South Asia, and beyond.

On July 3, 1987, A6-EKA flew from Toulouse to Dubai – it was Emirates' first owned aircraft, an Airbus A310-304.

In the first five years of operation, the airline began to operate across 14 destinations.

In the early 1990s, the group invested in service differentiators and long‑haul capability.

For one thing, it rolled‑out a personal seat‑back in‑flight entertainment across the fleet — and across all classes — in 1992, becoming the first airline to do so.

That was also the year Emirates got a new home: a new $2 million departure terminal.

And it ordered its own 7 Boeing 777s with 7 options, exuding confidence in its operations even as the region grappled with the aftermath of the first Gulf War (1990-91).

By 1993, the airline was poised for greater customer service; it introduced telecommunications on all classes of Airbus. A year on, it added a fax to its list of amenities available in the air.

Value added is a measure of wealth created: In 1993-94, the total value added of the group increased by Dh142 million against the previous year to Dh1,048 million, states their financial reports.

The 1990s marked Emirates’ transformation from a regional player to a global contender.

By 1998, it had begun to invest in other carriers such as Air Lanka —Emirates Group took a 43 per cent stake in this airline, which was later renamed SriLankan — and signed a 10-year management contract.

Passenger numbers and fleet size surged, with new Boeing and Airbus aircraft joining the lineup; now, it had a fleet of 32. The airline maintained consistent profits, reinvesting earnings into fleet upgrades and new routes.

The new Terminal 2 opened at Dubai International, expanding capacity. Passenger arrivals hit the 11 million mark.

That financial year (1999‑2000), Emirates carried 4.7 million passengers.

In fact, by 1999, Emirates was flying to more than 50 destinations. And in 1999-2000, the total value added of the Group increased by Dh349 million to Dh2,533 million.

In the year 2000, the Sheikh Rashid Terminal opened, increasing the capacity at Dubai International to 22 million passengers a year. As demand and capacity soared, so did investment and revenue.

Revenues rose strongly through the mid‑2000s, with profitability generally in the billions of dirhams, albeit sensitive to fuel prices and macroeconomic cycles.

This was also the year it signed up for seven Airbus A380s with options for five more at the Farnborough Air Show.

By 2004, Emirates was a well-known brand, and it made greater waves when it made a £100 million deal with Arsenal. This deal would give it naming rights to its new stadium for 15 years and shirt sponsorship for eight years, starting 2006.

In 2005, the airline flew into the aviation history books by putting in an order for 42 Boeing 777s, the largest order at the time. The deal was worth $9.7 billion.

By 2007, it launched the $120 million Emirates Flight Catering business.

And when 2008 hit and brought the global financial crisis, as even financial institutions struggled to survive, Emirates Group remained profitable and launched what we now know as Terminal 3. The Emirates‑only terminal saw 500,000 passengers fly out within the first month of operation.

Emirates spent the next decade cementing its position as one of the world’s largest and most profitable airlines. Revenues exceeded Dh80 billion by the mid-decade, driven by expanded long-haul connectivity, strong cargo operations, and a growing fleet of A380s and Boeing 777s. The airline received numerous awards for service and network reach, too. However, rising fuel prices, geopolitical tensions, and market saturation began to temper profit growth towards the end of the decade, with profits dipping below Dh3 billion in some years.

In 2012, it partnered with Qantas offering customers exclusive benefits.

By 2014, things had begun to look up, Emirates was named the world’s “Most valuable airline brand”, and the Middle East’s most valuable brand by Brand Finance, with an estimated value of $3.7 billion.

Recognition came quickly and repeatedly to Emirates; in 2016, it was named the World’s Best Airline and received the 12th consecutive award for best In‑flight Entertainment at Skytrax World Airline Awards 2016.

By 2017, it had gained a partner in flydubai - Dubai's budget carrier - which meant a  codeshare agreement. And it launched the best-in-class First Class private suites, inspired by Mercedes Benz, and introduced by TV celebrity and motoring expert, Jeremy Clarkson.

Before Covid started to spread around, the airline invested in 30 Boeing 787‑9 aircraft worth $8.8 billion. And a $16 billion-worth Airbus A350 order.

The decade began with one of the greatest turbulences in aviation history — the Covid-19 pandemic. Emirates suspended passenger operations for weeks in 2020, reporting a loss for the first time in over 30 years.

Recovery began in 2021–22, and by 2022–23, the airline reported record profits of Dh10.9 billion on revenue of Dh119.8 billion. This momentum continued, with Dh18.7 billion profit in 2023–24 and Dh22.7 billion in 2024–25, marking the most profitable period in the company’s history.

In 2021-2022, it also had a pavilion at Expo 2020, showcasing the latest in aviation.

By 2025, Emirates had fully restored its global network, introduced sustainability initiatives, and maintained a cash reserve exceeding Dh50 billion. Today, Emirates flies to 148 airports in 80 countries and territories from its hub in Dubai. And this year, it became the most profitable airline yet.

And in true Dubai-style, it's still striving to 'fly better'.