1993 - Emirates’ 13th and latest Airbus, an A300-600R, arrived in Dubai to become the second Airbus in the fleet with EMTEL, a new system that enables in-flight telephone calls. Unlike previous new aircraft that came direct to Dubai from Airbus Industrie in Toulouse, this one flew from Toulouse to London and departed from Gatwick with a full load of passengers and cargo. The extra flight, EK7131, was made in response to the heavy seasonal demand for seats on this route. Airline sources said in Dubai that the in-flight phone facility had proved to be very popular with passengers in all three classes. The cabin crew on board EK7131 reported a high demand for the phones.
Other important events
1879 - Britain signs peace treaty with Zulus in South Africa.
1914 - St Petersburg, Russia changes its name to Petrograd.
1923 - The Great Kanto earthquake shakes the Tokyo metropolitan area, killing more than 142,000.
1939 - Germany invades Poland, starting the Second World War.
1969 - Colonel Muammar Gaddafi deposes King Idris in the Libyan revolution.
1979 - US space probe Pioneer 11 becomes the first man-made object to reach Saturn.
1983 - A Korean Airlines Boeing 747 is shot down by a Soviet jet fighter, killing 269 people.
1990 - Two Germanys sign a treaty for merging the countries.
1991 - Lebanon and Syria sign a security pact.
1998 - Google is founded by students Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
2002 - The UAE enforces ban on child camel jockeys.
2006 - An Iranian passenger plane in the city of Mashhad skids off the runway, killing 29 of the 148 passengers.
2012 - Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi, starts commercial services.
