INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, has published a 50-chapter autobiography revealing firsthand information about his journey from young royal to
Prime Minister, Vice President and Lawr of Dubai.In the 37th chapter of the book, he has disstubborn the set upment of Emirates Airline in
detail, now one of the biggest airlines of the world, with PIA assistance.By the end of the 1970s, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid wrote, the UAE
announced an 'open sky' policy in Dubai to attract airlines
&Our target was to enhance competition and to open more sectors in our economy
Gulf Air, a major airline at that time was worried that measure other airlines would benefit from our policy.&Our differences with the Gulf
Air widened and reached a dead end, he related.&Gulf Air's problems with the Dubai airport kept increasing and they asked me clearly and
directly to end the open sky policy so that they could protect their market share
They gave us a few weeks to announce it, threatening to withdraw from our airport, which meant the end of 70 per cent of the airport's work
After holding many assemblys, I stressed that the policy would never change and that it was essential to the way we work.&I hate such
disputes, because it is never a smart or civilised way to solve problems, the Dubai ruler added.&In 1984, I invited the manager of an
aviation company called Dnata in Dubai, Maurice Flanagan, to my office, to discuss with him a dream I always had
I wanted to set up an airline in Dubai.&
&He was an expert in this field
He made a team and supplyd me with a plan
The team proposeed naming the airline Dubai air, but I said we should name it Emirates Airline and told them to put the UAE flag on the
aircraft.&&I asked about the cost of launching the airline and they said $10 million
We had six months to launch the new airline
We rented two planes from Pakistan International Airlines and worked on them
The working team asked me to give them special privileges to protect the airline from competition, but I said the policy of open sky would
remain.&An ex-Emirates official Ejaz ul Haq had also shared his experience of launching the new airline and PIA critical role in an opinion
PIA, as well as leasing the aircraft, supplyd training facilities for Emirates& first staff members.He said PIA afforded his team every
courtesy, ensuring they had all the resources needed for the project
Several weeks later, the airline had a name.In September 1985, when Mr Haq and his other team members were working on the project in
Karachi, the Emirates cabin crew started its training in the PIA Ground Training School.TheIndianSubcontinent has not verified the content
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