Emirates 20 year voyage of discovery

TWENTY YEARS: Emirates celebrated its 20th anniversary in Sri Lanka with a spectacular awards presentation and dinner event at the Hilton Colombo.

More than 350 dignitaries from the travel and cargo sectors and representatives of the airline's top corporate clients packed the hotel's grand ballroom for the gala event themed 'A 20 year voyage of discovery.'

One of the most looked-forward to events in the local travel industry calendar, the Emirates awards night was presided over by Nabil Sultan, Emirates' Senior Vice President Commercial Operations for West Asia and Indian Ocean, and Peter Sedgley, Vice President Cargo Commercial Operations, who flew in from Dubai for the event.

Emirates Area Manager Sri Lanka and Maldives, Tissa Bibile in his welcome address at the awards ceremony, recalled how Emirates had started services to Colombo, its fifth destination, just five months after the airline was launched in Dubai.

"The decision of the government of Dubai to start an airline more than 20 years ago was a bold and courageous one. And what a voyage of discovery it has been.

We have seen an airline that began with two leased Boeing 727 aircraft grow into one of the most profitable and acclaimed airlines in the world," he said.

Pointing out that Emirates has achieved greatness with the support of travel and cargo agents and two decades of hard work, Bibile said:

"Let us dedicate ourselves to continue our voyage and to work towards another year of mutually beneficial achievement and the satisfaction of enriching the travel experience of our customers."