Emirates was honoured by famous flight industry magazine Air Transport World (ATW) on February 8, 2011, as the airline s President Tim Clark received the "Airline of the Year" award at a gala dinner in Washington, D.C. "The decision to award Emirates 'Airline of the Year' is in recognition for its strong commitment to safety and operational excellence, its trendsetting customer service and its superb financial performance including a 22-year consecutive annual profit streak," said Perry Flint, Editorial Director for ATW. Since launching services in 1985, Emirates has grown into one of the largest and most dynamic airlines in the world, transforming Dubai into a world-class hub for global air travel. The airline is a leader in developing flexible air routings that save fuel and reduce CO2 emissions. These advances, combined with a host of other achievements have resulted in more than 400 international awards recognizing the airline in almost every category. Some of Emirates pioneering innovations include becoming the first airline to introduce individual seat back videos and to enable passengers to make authorized onboard mobile phone calls. Emirates' flagship A380s are the only commercial aircraft to feature onboard shower spas for first class passengers. The airline has experienced rapid and consistent growth, above 20 percent a year on average. Financially self-sustained and unprotected, Emirates carried 27.5 million passengers in the 2009-2010 financial year - almost 4.7 million more than the previous 12 months. Emirates currently flies to 110 cities in 66 countries across Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East, Africa, the Indian subcontinent and Asia-Pacific. So far this year, the airline has launched a new route to Basra, Iraq on 2 February and will start new services to Geneva on 1 June and Copenhagen on 1 August.(emirates/mar)