[3] It is the largest airline in the Middle East,[4] operating more than 3,600 flights per week from its hub at Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport.

As a result, Emirates was founded on 15 March 1985, with backing from Dubai's royal family and its first two aircraft provided by Pakistan International Airlines.

On 25 October 1985, Emirates operated its first flight from Dubai to Karachi and Mumbai, using the Airbus A300B4-200 and the Boeing 737-300, both wet-leased from Pakistan International Airlines.

In June 1991 shortly after the end of the hostilities caused by the Gulf War, Emirates finally managed to acquire slots at London Heathrow.

In 2000, the airline placed an order for a large number of aircraft, including the Boeing 777-300 and the Airbus A380, and also launched its frequent flyer program, Skywards.

Its growth has attracted criticism from other carriers, who claim that the airline has unfair advantages and have called for an end to open-skies policies with the UAE as a result.

Another strategy employed by Emirates is to use profit sharing and merit pay as part of its competency-based approach to performance management.

The male flight attendants wear a chocolate brown suit, featuring pinstripes, with a cream shirt and caramel, honey, and red tie.

This change included the modification of the logotype, the enlargement and movement of the English logo (the Arabic remaining smaller) towards the front of the aircraft, and a different, flowing flag on the tailfin.

[56] Emirates is the sponsor of Asian Football Confederation travel and play, in AFC Champions League and AFF Suzuki Cup.

[58] On 23 September 2019, Emirates partnered with Beirut Basketball Club to sponsor their 2019–2020 season, the deal included branding opportunities during televised matches, social media activation rights, and game ticket allocations.

[72] The reasoning for this was later revealed by the senior vice president of the airline's commercial operations worldwide that, "Your ability to react in the marketplace is hindered because you need a consensus from your alliance partners".

In July 2014, Emirates finalized an order for 150 Boeing 777X aircraft (this number was later reduced, see below), consisting of 35 777-8s and 115 777-9s,[99] and was expected to become the launch operator for the 777X in mid 2020.

[100] In November 2017, it signed a commitment for 40 787-10s,[101] but by early 2019, it was considering cancelling this order because engine margins were insufficient for the hot Dubai weather, in favour of the Airbus A350.

Both of the middle suites are equipped with three virtual windows, which are high-definition LCD screens that relay real-time images using HD cameras on either side of the aircraft.

Amenities include two minibars placed on either side of the entertainment screen, a 13-inch tablet with a front camera to communicate with the cabin crew and to order room service, and a panel to control the lighting and temperature inside the suite.

[124] Amenities include massage function, privacy partition, winged headrest with six-way movement, two individual reading lights, and an overhead light per seat; in-seat power supply, USB ports, and an RCA socket for laptop connection; and over 600 channels of entertainment on ICE, shown on a 23 in-wide (58 cm) HD TV screen.

[124][129] In December 2020, it was announced that Emirates' new Premium economy cabin would be equipped with Recaro PL3530 seats which were designed exclusively for the airline.

[137] Emirates also offers special meal options, in all classes, based on age, dietary restrictions and preference, and religious observance.

[138] In June 2018, Emirates signed a $40 million joint venture with Oakland, California-based Crop One Holdings, to build and maintain the world's largest hydroponic growing facility.

[147] In 2015, Emirates upgraded its ICE system to the new eX3 system, which included new upgrades that improved the passenger experience, such as a handset with more controls, larger screens, new sockets, some 3,500 channels of movies, TV shows, music, and games, on-demand and in multiple languages, new ICE features, such as a Voyager app, Bluetooth audio, and personal video playback.

ICE can be accessed in more than 40 languages, including English, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Urdu, Persian, Korean, Tamil, Thai, Dutch, Swedish, Italian, and Japanese.

[154] The established network carriers in Europe and Australia, such as Air France-KLM, British Airways, Lufthansa, and Qantas, see Emirates' strategic decision to reposition itself as a global carrier as a major threat because it enables travelers to bypass traditional airline hubs such as London-Heathrow, Paris-CDG, and Frankfurt on their way between Europe/North America and Asia/Australia by changing flights in Dubai instead.

These carriers also find it difficult to deal with the growing competitive threat Emirates poses to their business because of their much higher cost base.

[citation needed] In May 2010, Emirates executives denied claims that the carrier does not pay taxes and receives substantial financial assistance from the Dubai government.

[159] In its efforts to reduce carbon emissions, the Emirates started exploring the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) for its fleet since 2017.

[162] Currently, the airline has suppliers set up to supply its flights with SAF in several airports around the world including Paris, Lyon, Oslo, Amsterdam, London, Singapore and its home base in Dubai.

[190] In 2019, an Australian woman filed an unsuccessful lawsuit against Emirates for not providing her water, leading her to collapse during a long-haul flight.

[196][195][194] In August 2023, a Pakistani man sued Emirates for ₹5,000,000 claiming that the airline's service was extremely poor and below international standards.

[197] On June 13, 2024, the United States government fined Emirates for $1.8 million for operating flights carrying JetBlue Airways’ designator code below 32,000 feet (9,800 m) over prohibited airspace in Iraq.