The First Assignment

The First Assignment

If you want to be kind to yourself for the next flight from Iran, you probably go to the Emirates office in Tehran where the boss is no middle-aged man with a ten-page resume of climbing the ladder. Nahed Al Kheily, the Emirates area manager for Iran, is still in her twenties.
“I went to law school but could never imagine myself practicing law in a courtroom. If I were not here, I would be at another job somehow related to the aviation industry,” says Al Kheily.
After five years with the Emirates and five months into her first assignment in Iran, she has at least three years to advance the objectives of Airline of the Year. Sitting above the “glass ceiling” in Tehran, Al Kheily talked to Iran International about the Emirates, its future policies on the Iranian market and her own ambitions:

Emirates plans to invest here and be part of the Iranian aviation development both as a business and industry

Please brief us on the past and present of the Emirates in Iran.

Emirates started operating in Iran about ten years ago with flights to and from the southern port of Bandar Abbas. It then established flights to and from Tehran and Shiraz.
Emirates is now the largest and the most active foreign carrier operating in this country with Tehran-Dubai daily flights plus two flights a week in Tehran-Baku-Tehran route. Moreover, we have many joint projects with the national Iranian carrier among which I can refer to the Azerbaijan flights for which we exchange passengers with Iran Air.

What objectives have you set for your term in Iran?

From the business point of view, Iran is an important and challenging market for us. A period like 2-3 years is the minimum time that an area manager has to achieve certain goals in the competitive market of the Middle East. My main objectives will be to manage the existing operations and look for additional opportunities to expand. If there is a chance for development here, we should discover it. This is not something unique; it is a strategy adopted by all Emirates area managers. But speaking of the Iranian market, I think there are lots of opportunities to develop.

What expansion projects does Emirates follow in Iran?

Currently we are studying a number of areas where the airline can expand to. Emirates puts great emphasis on the Iranian market. This market has suffered a slow development in the past but investment here is now growing. Working as a foreign airline, we have every assistance from the Iranian government and the national carrier to build toward a large project for a market of such potentials. It is yet to be finalized but I can only mention that it is a type of service that exists in most of the countries and will have a great impact on the Iranian aviation industry.
What matters most is to plan a development strategy and actively follow that strategy especially once the market is moving. That is exactly the kind of approach we have toward the important market of Iran. Emirates plans to invest here and be part of the aviation development of Iran both as a business and industry.

What distinguishes Emirates from other foreign airlines operating in Iran?

Facts and figures show that Emirates is the largest foreign airline active in Iran. This is not merely due to the fact that we operate daily flights to and from the country. In addition to the best frequency, there are many other advantages involved. Aside from one stop in Dubai, our passengers don’t have to be concerned about two or three stops along the way. Iran and U.A.E. are two neighboring countries with many tourists, businessmen, immigrants and their relatives constantly travelling to both destinations. Emirates here acts as a one-stop shop to provide ticket, visa and hotel services all in one package. Moreover, passengers find tourist packages and twin services of Emirates very attractive. Emirates also enjoys very advanced equipment for its Iran operations. We avoid being too commercial. A passenger has certain needs that you must understand and fulfill.

Your taking office as the area manager, particularly coming from an Arab country, must have certain implications. Was it your high qualification or a change of attitude in the Emirates?

To answer that, I’ll have to explain a little about may home country the United Arab Emirates. Although it is not a long-established country, it has been able to take ambitious steps forward in a short time. Today, women in the U.A.E. are well educated and no legal or social limits are imposed on females. Regardless of the sex, a person will be offered the opportunity to progress based on his or her qualifications. As one of the biggest companies of the U.A.E., Emirates follows the same path. A woman has every right to climb the ladder and there are female executives currently in charge of some departments in the airline. As for me, everyone was very cooperative when started my job in Tehran. So there has been no problem on any side.