Dubai’s aviation story began with a sandy runway and two leased aircraft. This week, the man who steered it for four decades has been honoured with the Dubai-it Award.
Who Is Being Honoured?
أحمد بن سعيد آل مكتوم … جائزة دبي الأفعال
Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum – Dubai-it Award https://t.co/fnsPpdFKTT
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) October 28, 2026
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed is chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group, which includes dnata. His aviation career started in 1985, when he became president of the Dubai Department of Civil Aviation, the body overseeing Dubai International and Dubai Duty Free. Emirates was launched the same year, with him as chairman. The award announced by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, on X, described the journey as one that began from a sandy runway and two leased aircraft.
The Numbers Behind The Award
Since 1985, the Emirates fleet has grown nearly 139-fold and its destination network 76-fold. Dubai International Airport has set a record with 95.2 million passengers in a single year, a world record for international passenger traffic. Dubai Duty Free, one of the largest single-airport retail operations anywhere, recorded sales of $2.378 billion in 2025. The growth of flydubai has added to the emirate’s connectivity.
What Did Sheikh Ahmed Say?
He thanked Dubai’s leadership for backing aviation with forward-looking policies. He said the success belongs to all of Dubai, and credited the teams at Emirates, flydubai, Dubai Airports and their partners. In his view, the emirate’s best days in the skies are still ahead.
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What Is The Dubai-it Award?
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, unveiled the Dubai-it strategy in June. It aims to spread a culture of excellence across companies, institutions and younger generations.
Other winners so far include Fix Dessert, the home-grown brand behind the Dubai chocolate craze, which won in the business projects category. Its founders, Sarah Hamouda and Yezen Alani, turned a home-based business into a global name. According to Sheikh Hamdan, sales of Dubai-style chocolate rose by 1,234 per cent in a single year. SWS Board Technology, which makes nearly half of the world’s kiteboards and wakeboards, won in the economy category earlier this month.
Cover Image Courtesy: Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed/X
FAQs
Who else has won the Dubai-it Award?
Fix Dessert, the brand behind the Dubai chocolate craze, won in the business projects category. SWS Board Technology won in the economy category, and the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) was also recognised earlier this month for delivering projects at record speed.
Why was Sheikh Ahmed honoured?
He was recognised for transforming Dubai into a global aviation hub over four decades. Emirates has grown its fleet nearly 139-fold and its destination network 76-fold, and Dubai International Airport has welcomed a record 95.2 million passengers in a single year.
