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. Commencing operations with two aircraft, Emirates today the world’s largest fleet of Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s. By December 2023, it had a fleet of 260 aircraft in service and flew between 143 destinations. The Emirates Group today also includes dnata, a global air and travel services provider operating in over 30 countries. In the 2022/23 financial year, the Emirates Group’s revenues surged by 81%, hitting $32.6 billion. Emirates Airlines made $29.3 billion in revenues and carried 43.6 million passengers. Al Maktoum is also the chairman of Dubai Airports and Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority, and holds several other Dubai government leadership roles.