The airline business is competitive. That's one reason airlines sponsor programs and events: To get their name and brand in front of as many people as possible, hoping that prospective customers will choose them over another airline. Emirates has done this on a truly global scale, sponsoring football teams in Europe, sailing teams in New Zealand, and much more. Let's take a look at what the airline has sponsored recently.

Not only does an airline like Emirates face competition from other carriers in the same country and region, but it also competes with airlines from around the world, looking to connect passengers through their respective hubs as well.

With that in mind, Emirates has sought to elevate its name and brand above the rest by sponsoring big-ticket events and sports teams worldwide. So what exactly is the airline sponsoring these days?

Sports teams and events

Sporting events and teams appear to be one of the largest recipients of Emirates' sponsorship attention. In recent years, the airline has been involved with the following sporting events:

• The Rugby World Cup 2019, as "The Official Worldwide Partner" of the event.
• The Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens.
• The 9th West Asian Football Federation Championship as "Official Partner and Airline" for the event.
• The 36th America’s Cup, as the "Official Airline" of the major sailing event. This also included the America’s Cup World Series (ACWS), which saw sponsorship of all preliminary regattas leading up to the main event.

With an incredibly long list of teams and events, here is a brief summary of Emirates' sponsorships in this sector:

• When it comes to football (soccer), Emirates sponsors seven teams, including AC Milan, Arsenal FC, Real Madrid, and more.
• In the world of tennis, the airline sponsors high-profile events like the US Open, Australian Open, and more.
• The airline also sponsors numerous golf tournaments, as well as motorsports and horse racing events.
• Major events of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Music and culture

Appealing to classical music lovers, Emirates is a sponsor of several symphony orchestras. This includes Australia's two largest orchestras, in Melbourne and Sydney. The airline is also the "Official Airline" of the San Francisco Symphony. For more modern music, Emirates sponsors the Dubai music festival known as RedFest DXB.

Also close to home in Dubai, the airline partners with the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority to be the title sponsor of the "Emirates Airline Festival of Literature," which promotes education, debate, and reading.

Child-centered entertainment and education attraction Kidzania also lists Emirates as an industry partner.

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Other

Finally, the airline supports a few things that are a little more unconventional. Indeed, at Carnegie Mellon University in the US, Emirates Group was the lead sponsor of "a varsity hackathon," which was part of its internal business innovation initiative.

Those in London might be familiar with the Emirates Air Line, a cable car crossing the River Thames between Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks. As a title sponsorship, this cable car service is referred to as the Emirates Air Line across all of London's tube maps. This makes a great deal of sense with Emirates' robust service to London, which, at certain times, has seen multiple Airbus A380s fly into the city every day.

This final sponsorship won't be around for long, however. Indeed, Transport for London is looking for a replacement sponsor, stating on its website that the sponsorship arrangement for what is currently called the Emirates Air Line expires in June 2022.

What do you think of Emirates' aggressive sponsorship and marketing strategy? Are these good investments? Let us know in the comments.