On a frosty November evening at JFK Airport, Raphael Teixeira was working his routine shift when he spotted a piece of unattended ground support equipment (GSE) emitting smoke and flames. Instantly recognising the magnitude of the situation, he quickly sprang to action to extinguish the fire and bring it under control before it had the chance to cause further damage or endanger aircraft, and most importantly those onboard.

In the face of an urgent situation, Raphael acted with precision under pressure. His story is a shining example of the exemplary commitment of Emirates Group employees who consistently rise to the occasion to make an indelible mark on the business, their peers, and the wider industry.

Raphael’s story is one of six Najm Chairman’s 2024 Awards that individually and collectively recognise Emirates Group employees in six categories: measurable customer experience improvements, innovation, leading impactful initiatives that contribute to the Group’s ESG efforts and commitment to fostering a safety-first culture.

Employees were honoured at a ceremony today at Emirates’ Group Headquarters, led by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline & Group.

His Highness commented on the extraordinary efforts and initiatives of the winners of this year’s awards: “The dedication, spirit of collaboration, perseverance and ingenuity of team members being honoured today shows the Emirates Group at its best. Whether its skilfully undertaking the largest known fleet retrofit project, expanding the digital retailing experience, achieving fuel savings across our flight operations, bringing sustainability to the forefront of our dnata Travel business, making the travel experience more inclusive, and showing courage in the face of danger, these defining moments demonstrate the attitudes and actions that will have a lasting impact on the organisation for years to come.”

Najm Chairman’s Award nominations run through a rigorous review before the final selection is made. 22 individuals and team members were awarded this year, and here are their stories:

Breathing new life into the Emirates fleet

In August 2022, Emirates began the largest known fleet retrofit project the industry has seen. The endeavour was internally dubbed ‘Project Phoenix’, and involved a year of detailed planning, trialling and innovation, and resulted in a sequenced task to install a full Premium Economy cabin and refresh the full aircraft interiors.

Working with tenacity and dedication, the teams clocked in over 30,000 manhours, taking apart the interiors of the Emirates A380 and refitting the parts again in a carefully planned and tested sequence. The same endeavour was then undertaken for Emirates Boeing 777 aircraft. The retrofit project will increase the lifespan of the Emirates fleet by more than a decade, and the precedent set by the airline and trailblazing approach it has taken to upgrade its fleet interiors is now being emulated across the industry.

Futureproofing Emirates’ retail capabilities

Emirates’ Revenue Optimisation team embarked on a strategy to modernise the airline’s retail capabilities. The result was the introduction of a New Distribution Capability (NDC) Gateway, and today, thousands of trade partners use the system to drive product and price differentiation, supporting millions of customers to choose Emirates for their journeys. Teams working on the painstaking details of the project have helped the airline strengthen the expansion of its distribution landscape across the global travel retail community and offer travellers a better view of Emirates’ best-in-class products and services.

Reducing fuel burn with reduced arrival procedures

Ever-conscious of their responsibility to minimise emissions from operations, the Emirates Flight Operations team found an opportunity to streamline lengthy arrival procedures, reducing mileage and cutting fuel consumption. Presented with numerous technical, regulatory and safety considerations and processes, the team worked with Dubai Air Navigation Services to safely adjust arrival procedures, which not only cut flight planning distances, but also made DXB the first airport to publish reduced arrival protocols, setting a global precedent and encouraging others to adopt the innovative method.

Bringing sustainability to the forefront at dnata Travel

Lara Seymour at dnata Travel has pioneered several projects to cut carbon emissions by establishing and leading the sustainability practice for dnata Travel Group, which spans over 15 businesses across 16 countries. Several initiatives are well underway, including optimising City Sightseeing bus routes in Dubai to cut emissions by 40%, the implementation of a responsible travel policy, and the launch of an animal welfare practice. Lara’s efforts have led to significant reductions in carbon emissions, and she also contributed to dnata Travel Group receiving IATA’s Environmental Management Certification.

Transforming the travel experience for People of Determination

The Emirates Airport Passenger Services team, Customer Affairs team and Dubai International (DXB) collaborated with local schools and autism groups to substantially improve the on-ground experience for People of Determination at Terminal 3. Championing inclusivity, two key initiatives were rolled out: sunflower lanyards and the travel rehearsal. Sunflower lanyards and pins indicated the need for enhanced support and visibility for people with hidden disabilities, granting priority boarding and personalised assistance along with facilitating special training for teams.

Travel rehearsals for neurodivergent passengers have allowed them to practise the on-ground experience across different airport touchpoints, including check-in, immigration and customs, boarding gates, as well as being on board, ahead of their real journeys. This allays stress for families during the actual travel experience and provides greater confidence and comfort during their journeys. Both initiatives culminated in an April 2024 real-life on-ground experience and familiarisation flight for 30 UAE families with neurodiverse children on Emirates.

As an employer of choice, the Emirates Group celebrates talented individuals who drive the organisation’s success through the Najm programme. Najm awards consist of different tiers, and the Chairman’s Awards is the highest level that can be attained. In the last financial year, the Emirates Group awarded 21,000 Najms across different tiers worth over AED 2 million.