Since its launch in 1985, Emirates Airline has received more than 270 international awards in recognition of its efforts to provide unsurpassed levels of customer service.

The airline has experienced rapid and consistent growth, above 20 per cent a year on average and has been profitable for the last 17 years. Financially self-sustained and unprotected, Emirates carried 12.5 million passengers in the 2004-05 financial year - 2.1 million more than the year before - and declared a record US $637 million profit.

Emirates is the world’s fastest-growing intercontinental airline, one of the world's five most profitable and among the 20 largest ones. It is based in Dubai, one of the few cities in the world that pursues an open-skies policy, with more than 110 airlines in free and fair competition.

Emirates presently has 95 aircraft pending delivery, worth nearly US$30 billion in list prices. This includes 45 Airbus A380s (two of them freighters), 26 Boeing 777-300ERs, 20 Airbus A340-600 HGWs, two A340-500s and three A310-300 freighters. Emirates announced the largest order in commercial aviation at the 2003 Paris Air Show, when it added 71 new Airbus and Boeing aircraft worth US$19 billion to its order book.

The airline was the launch carrier for the new ultra long-haul A340-500, which started service on 1st December 2003. It also was the first airline to order the revolutionary A380-800 double-decker and will be the main launch carrier for the innovative A340-600 HGW. Emirates' 45 A380 orders, which it will start receiving next year, make it the largest customer of the Airbus super-jumbo.

Emirates operates services to more than 75 cities in 54 countries in Europe, North America, the Middle East, Africa, Indian subcontinent and Asia-Pacific. Since January 2004 the airline has launched services to ten new destinations, including the Seychelles, Seoul and Alexandria in the first half of 2005.

Emirates has codeshare agreements with Air India, Air Mauritius, Continental Airlines, Japan Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Royal Air Maroc, South African Airways, SriLankan Airlines, and Thai Airways.

Visit Emirates online at: www.emirates.com