Al Maktoum became president of the Dubai Department of Civil Aviation in 1985. In the same year, he became chairman of the newly founded Emirates. By March 2024, it had 260 aircraft in service and flew between 151 destinations. The Emirates Group today also includes dnata, which recorded a 29% increase in revenues to hit $5.2 billion in the financial year ended March 2024. Emirates Airline made $33 billion in revenues and carried 51.9 million passengers for the same time period. The group also invested $2.4 billion in new aircraft, facilities, equipment, and companies in the 2024 financial year. Al Maktoum is the chairman of Dubai Airports, and Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority.