dnata history

Formerly of the Royal Air Force, British Airways, and Gulf Air, Flanagan had been seconded to Dnata in 1978 on a two-year assignment as assistant general sales manager.

In 1984, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, then UAE Minister of Defence and a member of Dubai’s progressive royal family, asked Sir Maurice Flanagan, then managing director of dnata, to look into starting an airline.

The first flight, Dubai to Karachi on October 25, 1985, was a Pakistani connection in more ways than one.

Emirates launched daily nonstop service to London (Gatwick) on July 6, 1987, with two new Airbus A310s.

Emirates Sky Cargo, which operated as a separate entity, carried 25,000 tons of freight in 1989.

Emirates expanded its route network into the Far East in 1990, serving Bangkok, Manila, and Singapore.

Emirates added Paris, Rome, Zurich, and Jakarta in the summer of 1992.

Revenues increased by about $100 million a year, approaching $500 million in 1993.

By 1994, 60 international airlines were flying to Dubai.

They began to arrive in the spring of 1996.

1998 Emirates buys a 40 percent stake in Air Lanka.

A new, lighthearted advertising campaign launched in January 1999 enjoined travelers to "Be good to yourself.

Emirates announced a colossal order for 71 new Boeing and Airbus aircraft in June 2003.

2004 Service to the United States is launched via New York.

In April 2006, the airline had 92 aircraft, with another 123 on order.

In December, 2010, dnata acquired Alpha Flight Limited, expanding the company even further to cover 62 airports in 12 countries.

By 2012 it expected to have grown its fleet to 150 planes.

With the introduction of dnata4good in 2014, our focus on CR has increased significantly.

In November, 2015, dnata acquired RM Ground Services, in Brazil expanding the operations to 84 countries and operating across 6 continents servicing over 150 airlines.