Emirates Group Chairman’S Review
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The Emirates Group Chairman’s Review HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum Chairman of The Emirates Group …4th August, Auckland. New Zealand becomes the most easterly destination. Having seen ‘Lord of the Rings’, it was fascinating to discover where it was made. Unforgettable was a Maori haka-powhiri …13th May, Canberra. Came to the welcome at the airport for the double I am delighted to be able to Australian capital to underline our inauguration flights from Melbourne and announce another record year for commitment to this beautiful country. I Sydney. The New Zealand Prime Minister, the Group with a profit of US$ 476 made a presentation to Cabinet Ministers Rt Hon Helen Clark, graciously came to million (Dhs 1.7 billion) on revenues and Members of Parliament. Big interest in greet us at the airport. of US$ 3.8 billion (Dhs 14 billion). Dubai. …16th October, Dubai. I opened the Emirates’ income amounted to …3rd June, Dubai. I was proud to present annual Emirates Commercial Conference. US$ 3.6 billion (Dhs 13.3 billion) 22 MBAs to members of Dnata and The theme was aptly ‘On the threshold of a and Dnata’s turnover was US$ 298 Emirates staff. dream’...later in the week presented million (Dhs 1.1 billion). …16th June, Paris. We stunned even the Chairman’s Award for Sales Excellence to Before we examine the ‘been-everywhere, read-the-book, Maria Almeida. statistics of this very healthy community’ of our media friends by …7th December, Dubai. HH Sheikh report, I would like to acknowledge announcing the biggest aircraft order in Mohammed opened the new Emirates the expertise and experience of history. HH Sheikh Mohammed made a Aviation College and the Emirates - CAE our staff and management who special visit to the Paris Air Show to be Flight Training Centre. It was a whistle-stop have invested an enormous amount with us at the signings, in the Airbus and tour but we saw the 14 bays with the four of creative time and been so Boeing pavilions, of the orders for US$ 19 full-flight simulators for third-party work innovative with their resources billion (Dhs 69.7 billion). This makes a total already busy. These are outside the during the year. The Group now order book worth US$ 26 billion (Dhs 95.4 simulators exclusively used by Emirates. numbers over 22,500 and it has billion). The TV and press did us proud the …8th December, Dubai Air Show. Another been my privilege to meet next day with huge headlines. big headline for us, the media turned out thousands of my colleagues both in …15th July, Moscow. The Russian capital is in force to hear me announce the choice of Dubai and around the network now our most northerly gateway…we Engine Alliance as the power plants for our during the year…one of the high celebrated the inaugural with a gala dinner second order of A380s…they will now be spots of being the Chairman of this and a concert by Leo Sayer…it’s only five the engines for the total A380 fleet of 45 extraordinary company. hours from Dubai. aircraft. To give you an insight into the …26th July, Dubai. Presented Mabrouk …12th January 2004, Dubai, Mina various activities around the world, Awards, including one to Dnata Operations’ A’Salam. Discussed soccer with Franz here are a few jottings from my cleaner, Gopinath Koovot, who returned a Beckenbauer at the lunch to announce the business diary. wallet containing Dhs 50,000 which he German football legend coming on board found in a locker while cleaning the to be our spokesman for sport and soccer, aircraft. during and including the run-up to FIFA 6 The financial year will see the airline increase its capacity by 26% and open new routes to the USA, China and Europe. A Maori welcome at Auckland. World Cup 2006, which Emirates is The exceptional growth of the airline US$ 500 million (Dhs 1.8 billion). This is the sponsoring. means that we have many newcomers, largest ever unrated Eurobond issue by an …23rd January 2004, Brisbane. Started the particularly on the flight deck and among the airline and we are very pleased to receive this year with another visit to Australia...this time cabin crew. It is indicative of the spirit of the major endorsement from the international Brisbane as we inaugurated a new daily Emirates Group and the friendliness of Dubai investment community. service. Flew around Queensland and other itself, that they have quickly become an I note that IATA is forecasting worldwide states in a chopper to view this picturesque integral part of our family. growth of 7 to 8% in passenger traffic in 2004 country, travelling over rain forests, coastal But the Group does not stand still and our and a number of major carriers reported a resorts and inland sites. We are looking for a organisational structure was enhanced during definite pick-up in business in the third and suitable location for a new Al Maha type the year to cope with future challenges. The fourth quarters… which augurs well for the hotel. Returned from Sydney to try the new restyled corporate management mirrors the future of the industry. First Class product, with the mini suites, on airline’s development into a global airline and For the Emirates Group, the financial year our non-stop A340-500 service. Dnata’s growing activities, and the advance of will see the airline increase its capacity by talented and highly-qualified UAE nationals 26% and open new routes to the USA, China In last year’s report I predicted “...the into top management positions. In fact, UAE and Europe, while Dnata will continue its Group will continue its bullish ways for the nationals now constitute 23% of our winning ways with a new lease of life to boost 2003/4 financial year and I am expecting yet management at Vice President level and above. services to customers. The Group as a whole another record year”. As usual, we managed to buck the trend has contributed to the Dubai economy, I would not like to claim that my crystal of a travel industry which stagnated, at best, US$ 1.5 billion (Dhs 5.5 billion) in direct ball is always as accurate as this, but I have for the first three to four months of 2003 with expenditure and another US$ 2.2 billion learnt over the years that the recipe for our the aftermath of SARS, the conflict in Iraq (Dhs 8.1 billion) in indirect expenditure. continued success remains the same: the and the weak global economy. I am pleased to announce a bonus for all exploitation of Dubai’s location as a global Thanks to a vigorous cost-cutting drive our employees and a dividend of US$ 90 hub, and equally the exploitation of the and robust marketing, by early summer we million (Dhs 329 million) to be paid to the government’s visionary development were back on track. ownership. programme which is well on the way to The Group has continued to prosper and As always, I would like to end this review establishing Dubai as the world’s leading city we have not been tempted to compare by thanking our staff for their unstinting state, for commerce and tourism, of this new ourselves with other airlines or travel efforts to build Emirates into a global airline century; our multi-billion dollar investment in organisations. We have not joined any and to retain the excellent reputations of new equipment and, crucially, the skill and alliances nor followed any ‘guru’s teachings’ Dnata and our Associated Companies. dedication of our team. and have simply knuckled down to winning It is rare for a Chairman in the volatile more supporters by offering them quality aviation industry to be able to retain the same products. senior management over a lengthy period, The financial year ended on a high with the but in Dnata and Emirates most of my successful conclusion of our first international colleagues at divisional level have been with bond issue (listed in Luxembourg) which was us for 10 years or more. oversubscribed by 25% and closed at Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum 7 The Emirates Group Vice-Chairman and Group President’s Review Maurice Flanagan CBE, Vice-Chairman and Group President Allow me the indulgence of a complex of airport facilities, opening in (but not pay) and a bold approach to the personal note, but one which I 2007 and raising the airport’s capacity future. Therefore in June, Emirates know comes on behalf of all of us from the present 25 million to 70 million announced the biggest-ever aircraft order in the Emirates Group. We are passengers a year. I was, therefore, of US$ 19 billion (Dhs 69.7 billion) which particularly blessed to have as our proud to be present when the French many of my colleagues in other airlines Chairman His Highness Sheikh Minister of Transport and Tourism, considered incomprehensible. They did not Ahmed, for whose hands-on Monsieur Gilles de Robien, installed His know what we know. That secret is Dubai, leadership I am - we are - truly Highness as Commandeur de l’Ordre de with current and projected mega-plans, all grateful every day that passes. la Légion d’Honneur in recognition of his self-sustaining Dubai-style, which act and Sheikh Ahmed not only directs the role in strengthening ties between France will increasingly act, as powerful magnets world’s fastest growing airline and the UAE. for tourism and all forms of business group but is also President of the traffic.