As the race for "share of mobile" continues, Emirates marks a major milestone with 20 million downloads of its mobile app on the back of a strong mobile and digital strategy that has led to solid consumer uptake particularly in Africa, GCC and Asia.

Catering to its global customer base, the Emirates app is available in more languages than any other airline app in the world, with full features set in 19 languages including Arabic and Mandarin. Available on Apple Store, Google Play Store and most recently the Huawei AppGallery, it is amongst the highest rated airline apps in the world.

In line with its "Fly Better" promise, the airline continually invests to deliver the best possible customer experience whether onboard, on the ground, or online.

Innovations and "power features" launched on the Emirates app in the past 18 months

- The ability to create a personalized ice playlist via the Emirates app, and to synchronize it with the airline's system on-board

- The ability to preview a seat and the overall onboard product before travelling, via 3D-cabin models

- The ability to bid on tickets for highly-sought after sports and cultural events sponsored by Emirates around the world, using Emirates Skywards points

- The ability to navigate through Emirates' hub, Dubai International airport, and easily find your way to the gate

In addition to features and functions, Emirates has also prioritized the improvement of site speed, as it is a major determinant of customer satisfaction with their online experiences. According to https://www.webpagetest.org/, Emirates.com is now among the fastest airline websites globally, in particular when accessed via a mobile device on 3G and 4G.

Other fast facts on Emirates' app:

- The most popular content on the Emirates app is in-flight dining menu.

- The most popular activities on the Emirates app are flight searches followed by checking-ins and accessing mobile boarding passes.

- In an average month, more than 1 million check-ins are performed via mobile devices, representing more than 60% of all online check-ins, which in turn account for 50% of total check-ins

- Customers performed more flight searches on Emirates' direct channels via mobile devices than via desktop or laptop computers.

- App push notifications have become the preferred and dominant customer communication channel, compared to sms and email.

Contributed by Emirates