Skip to content Skip to Search
Skip navigation

Emirates denies plan to acquire UK travel concierge firm 

By Neil Halligan
Emirates DiamondAir International Alamy/Grant Rooney/Premium
Dubai airline Emirates has denied it held talks with Heathrow travel concierge business DiamondAir International
  • DiamondAir International services 600 airports
  • Emirates denies report of talks
  • It has invested heavily in premium offering

Dubai airline Emirates has denied claims it plans to acquire UK-based travel concierge business DiamondAir International. 

A media report on Thursday said the carrier was in talks to buy the Heathrow Airport-based company. It offers premium meet and assist services and personalised travel concierge solutions at more than 600 airports worldwide. 

The report said its chief executive and founder had met with Emirates in recent weeks to discuss a potential acquisition. 

Emirates, however, said it was not in talks with any company about a possible takeover or stake acquisition. 

“Emirates has no plans to buy into or acquire stakes in any other business,” a spokesperson told AGBI. 

“We’re focused on our own organic growth and commercial partnerships that make sense for customers and will always invest in our own core business.”

Emirates airline has invested heavily in its premium offerings. It was one of the first to offer chauffeur-driven services for its premium class customers and it has spent millions on its lounges, both in Dubai and overseas. 

The airline said AED44 million ($12 million) was spent this year on new lounges at London Stansted and Jeddah airports and on refurbishing their existing facility at Paris Charles De Gaulle. 

Following delays to the delivery of its 777X aircraft order from Boeing, the company embarked on a $4 billion retrofit programme for 191 of its A380 and 777 aircraft.

In May, the airline posted a post-tax profit of $2.4 billion (AED8.7 billion) for the first half of the year, down 7 percent compared with the same period last year after it paid UAE corporate income tax for the first time. Figures minus the tax show its profit was up two percent.

Emirates CEO Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum said it “expects customer demand to remain strong for the rest of 2024-25”.

Latest articles

A data centre technician. Amazon, Google and Microsoft are also developing high-tech infrastructure in Southeast Asia

Damac to spend $3bn on data centres in Southeast Asia

Edgnex, the data centre subsidiary of Dubai’s Damac Group, is planning to invest $3 billion in sites across Southeast Asia over the next three to five years.  The investment is part of a $7 billion digital infrastructure strategy that aims to meet rising demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing, Danish Nayar, Damac’s senior vice-president […]

City, Architecture, Building

Aldar acquires unfinished commercial tower in DIFC

Abu Dhabi’s largest developer, Aldar Properties, has acquired an unfinished commercial tower in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) for AED2.3 billion ($626 million), as it continues its expansion into its neighbouring emirate.  The tower, bought from H&H Development, has 40 floors of commercial and retail space and is due for completion in 2028.  It is […]

Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Britain's Princess Anne, Princess Royal attend a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace, London, during the state visit to the UK of the Emir of Qatar, Britain, December 3, 2024.

Qatar to invest £1bn in UK climate tech

The Qatari and British governments have announced a spate of deals as the Gulf country’s emir arrived in the UK on a two-day state visit. Officials announced on Wednesday that Qatar will invest £1 billion ($1.27 billion) in climate technology in the UK, with British engineering firm Rolls-Royce a key beneficiary. The investment is expected […]

Muhammad Al Jasser of the Islamic Development Bank, second from left, at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Riyadh

Arab funds pledge $10bn to fight desertification

The Arab Coordination Group, an alliance of 10 development funds, is to provide $10 billion by 2030 to combat land degradation, desertification and drought, it was announced on the second day of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification event in Riyadh.  The commitment brings the total pledged to these interrelated causes at the two-week […]