Emirates (Arabic: طَيَران الإمارات DMG: Ṭayarān al-Imārāt) is an airline based at Dubai International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the largest airline in the Middle East, operating over 2,500 flights per week,[1][2] from its hub at Terminal 3, to 120 cities in 70 countries across six continents.[3] The company also operates three of the world's ten longest non-stop commercial flights from Dubai to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston and Dallas.[4][5][6] Emirates is a subsidiary of The Emirates Group, which has over 50,000 employees, and is wholly owned by the government of Dubai directly under the Investment Corporation of Dubai.[7] Cargo activities are undertaken by the Emirates Group's Emirates SkyCargo 
division.[8]During the mid-1980s, Gulf Air began to cut back its services to Dubai. As a result Emirates was conceived in March 1985 with backing from Dubai's royal family, whose Dubai Royal Air Wing provided two of the airline's first aircraft. It was required to operate independent of government subsidies, apart from $10 million in start-up capital. The airline became headed by Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the airline's present chairman. In the years following its founding, the airline expanded both its fleet and its destinations.[9] In October 2008, Emirates moved all operations at Dubai International Airport to Terminal 3, a new terminal exclusively dedicated to Emirates to sustain its rapid expansion and growth plans.[10]
Emirates operates a mixed fleet of Airbus and Boeing wide-body aircraft and is one of only nine airlines to operate an all-wide-body aircraft fleet, whose centrepiece is the Boeing 777. Emirates also has orders for 90 Airbus A380s with 20 of them already in service and became the second operator of the Airbus A380-800 after Singapore Airlines when their first aircraft was delivered on 28 July 2008.[11]Emirates has won numerous awards and is an industry bellwether for aircraft purchases, purchasing over 130 aircraft in 2007 alone.[12]
The airline ranks amongst the top 10 carriers worldwide in terms of revenue and passenger kilometres, and has become the largest airline in the Middle East in terms of revenue, fleet size, and passengers carried as of 2007.[13] In 2010 the airline was the sixth-largestairline in the world in terms of international passengers carried,[14] and largest in the world in terms of scheduled international passenger-kilometres flown.[15] The airline was also the seventh largest in terms of scheduled freight tonne-kilometres flown.[16]
Emirates has built up a strong brand name as a leader in the aviation industry, particularly in terms of service excellence, and its very rapid growth, coupled with consistent profitability.[17][18] In 2010, Emirates was voted the eighth best airline in the world by research consultancy firm Skytrax.[19]
In February 2011, Air Transport World gave Emirates Airlines the title of "Airline of the Year" for 2011. The award has been given based on recognition of its commitment to safety and operational excellence, customer service trendsetters, financial condition including a 22-year consecutive annual profit.[20]
The full suite options comes complete with closing doors to ensure privacy, a mini-bar, a coat rack and storage. They also feature the ICE system on a 23 in (58 cm) LCD screen. The seat converts into a 2 m (6 ft 7 in) fully flat bed. Private suites are available on all A380-800, A340-500, Boeing 777-200LR aircraft, as well as 27 of 39 3-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.'Skycruiser' seating is available on the remaining 12 Boeing 777-300ERs, Boeing 777-200s and Boeing 777-300s feature seat that extend to flat beds using integrated passenger seat control, along with the ICE system and a 19 in (48 cm) screen. First class seats may also include a personal minibar.[143]
'Sleeper' seating is available on 3-class A330-200 and A340-300 aircraft. The seats feature a pitch of 72 inches (A330-200) and 86 inches (A340-300) and lie nearly flat.
On its newly delivered A380-800, first class features private suites,[144] two shower-equipped lavatories and spa,[145] and access to the first/business class bar area and lounge.[146] Premium class seating is located on the entire upper deck of A380-800 aircraft. In 2009, Emirates was voted the second best First Class by Skytrax. Skytrax had said that the Emirates A380-800 product greatly helped influence its position.[147]
Emirates is unusual in that it operates a ten-abreast, 3-4-3, seating configuration on its 777 fleet (rather than the customary 3-3-3 or 2-5-2 configuration). This results in a cramped cabin environment especially during meal times due to the reduced width of the seat. Other airlines with this layout include Air France-KLM (except on 777-200ER aircraft operating for KLM), China Southern Airlines, Philippine Airlines, and Air New Zealand (only on 777-300ER aircraft).
