ABSTRACT
Emirates is one of the fastest-growing and most profitable airlines in the world. Yet the secret of its success is largely unknown outside the Arab world. Much of Emirates' success is due to the Al Maktoum's sheikhdom's ambitious strategy of reinventing Dubai as a modern hub of tourism and commerce in the Middle East. Well-respected rivals such as Singapore Airlines are also poised to emerge as serious rivals in the global hub-and-spoke game. Emirates has placed some big bets-on Dubai, the A380 and its global hub-and-spoke strategy and its ability to scale operations. In contrast to many other national airlines, Emirates never received direct subsidies or relied on government handouts. Dubai’s open skies policy granted foreign airlines the same access and privileges as Emirates. Emirates resisted its external auditors’ advice to introduce a board of non-executive directors.
