Emirates has waded into the furore surrounding the incident that saw a passenger on a United Airline flight dragged through the aisle after being bloodied by an aviation security officer.

David Dao was forcibly dragged screaming from flight 3411 from Chicago's O'Hare Airport to Louisville, Kentucky on Sunday (9 April), as the flight was overbooked, prompting widespread outrage among passengers and on social media.

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In a not-so-subtle dig at the US-based carrier, Emirates released a video mocking United Airlines' "Fly the friendly skies..." motto. In the clip, which was released on Tuesday, the words "This time for real" are superimposed on the screen below United's slogan.

The Dubai-based airline also took the opportunity to remind its rival of the awards it has won this year, while having a pop at United's chief executive Oscar Munoz.

Earlier this year, Munoz launched a scathing attack on Emirates and other Gulf airlines, claiming they threatened US jobs and going as far as suggesting Americans had never heard of Dubai or the United Arab Emirates until Gulf-based carriers rose to prominence.

Along with United, Delta Airlines and American Airlines have also been very critical of Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways, accusing them of cheating by pocketing $50bn (£40m, €47m) worth of subsidies by the US government.

Meanwhile, someone on social media modified the logo of Southwest Airlines to have a dig aimed at United, which has been at the centre of a media storm since the incident occurred.

According to reports, passengers were asked to voluntarily give up seats in exchange for money, a stay in a hotel and a flight the next day, as four United employees needed to be on that flight instead.

When none of them volunteered to vacate, United upped the amount being offered. However, when no-one came forward still, passengers were informed that a computer would randomly select passengers to disembark, according to an observer.

Dao was one of those chosen and when he refused to leave the plane, United called in security to escort him off the plane.

On Tuesday, Munoz issued a statement saying that the company takes "full responsibility" for the incident.

"The truly horrific event that occurred on this flight has elicited many responses from all of us: outrage, anger, disappointment," he said. "I share all of those sentiments, and one above all: my deepest apologies for what happened."

An early statement from the CEO was roundly mocked on social media and late night TV for saying that he apologised for "having to re-accommodate these passengers". The officer involved in the incident was placed on leave by the Chicago Aviation Department while they said they would investigate, adding that the incident was "not in accordance with our standard operating procedure".