Emirates

Emirates is the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates, founded in October 1985 with start-up capital from the Dubai government. From two leased aircraft on routes to Karachi and Mumbai, the carrier grew into one of the largest long-haul airlines in the world, with Dubai International Airport (Terminal 3) as its single mega-hub.

The fleet is anchored around two wide-body workhorses: the Airbus A380 — Emirates operates the largest A380 fleet of any airline — and the Boeing 777 family, supplemented by an emerging Airbus A350 contingent. The all-wide-body strategy reflects the airline's long-haul-only focus and its premium-heavy three-class (Economy, Business, First) and four-class (with Premium Economy) configurations.

Emirates is not a member of any of the three global alliances. Instead it operates a deep bilateral partnership with Qantas covering Australia–Europe routings, plus codeshare agreements with Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Alaska Airlines and others to extend its network beyond Dubai. The Skywards programme is its in-house frequent-flyer scheme.

In-cabin product is a regular Skytrax category winner — onboard showers and a private bar in First Class on the A380, ice in-flight entertainment with thousands of channels, and chauffeur transfers for premium-cabin passengers. The carrier is also the principal sponsor of the Emirates Stadium, a recognisable global brand asset.