How the superjumbo turned Emirates into an international aviation goliath
From his spacious office overlooking Dubai's vast airport, Sir Tim Clark is fielding call after call about Emirates' response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The situation is evolving "minute by minute", he says. "You'll have to forgive me if I am a bit preoccupied." The airline the 72-year-old runs carries more passengers internationally than any other carrier. Events in eastern Europe leave it more affected than its rivals as a result. But for the British executive who has been in the airline business for the best part of half a century, reacting to crises - whether they be ash clouds, terrorist attacks, or even wars - comes with the territory. "We're pretty good at responding to situations like this," Sir Tim says. "[But] this is a little bit more sinister, you never know what's going to happen next. We've got passengers, we've got crews, we've got assets in a lot of the countries in and around the conflict." Knighted in 2014 for services to the aviation industry, Sir Tim is credited as the visionary behind the building of an airline in the desert. With 269 aircraft, Emirates has come a long way since 1985, when it borrowed a brace of planes from Pakistan International Airlines to get up and running. He was one of 10 "anoraks" charged with getting Emirates off the ground 37 years ago. Their ambitions were lofty from the start. Dubai's "geocentricity" makes it the perfect place to create the world's biggest global aviation hub. Armed with investment from the Dubai royal family, Sir Tim and his colleagues set to it. Story has more.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2022-03-01/unaligned/how-the-superjumbo-turned-emirates-into-an-international-aviation-goliath
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How the superjumbo turned Emirates into an international aviation goliath
From his spacious office overlooking Dubai's vast airport, Sir Tim Clark is fielding call after call about Emirates' response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The situation is evolving "minute by minute", he says. "You'll have to forgive me if I am a bit preoccupied." The airline the 72-year-old runs carries more passengers internationally than any other carrier. Events in eastern Europe leave it more affected than its rivals as a result. But for the British executive who has been in the airline business for the best part of half a century, reacting to crises - whether they be ash clouds, terrorist attacks, or even wars - comes with the territory. "We're pretty good at responding to situations like this," Sir Tim says. "[But] this is a little bit more sinister, you never know what's going to happen next. We've got passengers, we've got crews, we've got assets in a lot of the countries in and around the conflict." Knighted in 2014 for services to the aviation industry, Sir Tim is credited as the visionary behind the building of an airline in the desert. With 269 aircraft, Emirates has come a long way since 1985, when it borrowed a brace of planes from Pakistan International Airlines to get up and running. He was one of 10 "anoraks" charged with getting Emirates off the ground 37 years ago. Their ambitions were lofty from the start. Dubai's "geocentricity" makes it the perfect place to create the world's biggest global aviation hub. Armed with investment from the Dubai royal family, Sir Tim and his colleagues set to it. Story has more.<br/>
