Dubai Lines Up Emirates Airline For Possible Stock Market Listing

Dubai Lines Up Emirates Airline For Possible Stock Market Listing

The Dubai government is considering selling shares in one of its flagship assets, Emirates Airline, in the latest stage of a privatisation push that is quickly gathering momentum.

At the start of November, the authorities in the city-state – which forms part of the United Arab Emirates – said they planned to list shares in 10 companies on the local Dubai Financial Market (DFM). That was part of an effort to reinvigorate the bourse, which has been increasingly overshadowed by rival exchanges in Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia.

The first companies named as candidates for an initial public offering were local utility the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) and the Salik road toll system. A listing of Emirates Airline would be likely to attract far more interest than either of those businesses, given its position as one of the world’s largest international carriers.

Speaking to Reuters on 29 November, Emirates Airline president Tim Clark confirmed that his company was now being lined up for a potential stock