Emirates sees fourth straight half-year profit as travel demand soars revenue

The parent company of Emirates airline has recorded a six-month profit for the fourth consecutive year, as growing demand for air travel continues to increase revenue.

The Emirates Group has announced a profit before tax of AED 12.2 billion ($ 3.3 billion) for the first six months of 2025-26, making this the fourth consecutive year of record profitability for the half-year reporting period.

According to the company’s disclosure, the profit after tax stood at AED 10.6 billion ($ 2.9 billion), up 13% from last year.

The group’s revenue was AED 75.4 billion ($ 20.6 billion) for the first six months of 2025-26, up 4% from AED 70.8 billion ($ 19.3 billion) last year.

The group’s EBITDA jumped 3% to AED 21.1 billion ($ 5.7 billion), from AED 20.4 billion ($ 5.6 billion) in the same period last year.

The strong cash reserve — AED 56.0 billion ($ 15.2 billion) by September 30 — has allowed the company to support business needs, including funding for new aircraft deliveries and servicing existing debt obligations.

Dubai-based Emirates has been a leader in the global aviation industry. It was ranked as the fourth-best airline in the world by Skytrax at the 2025 World Airline Awards. The airline was also certified as a 4-Star Airline by Skytrax for its overall quality of product and service.

'Unflagging demand'

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group said said the outstanding financial performance was a result of “unflagging demand and growing customer preference for our product and services”.

“Emirates and dnata have invested billions to continually enhance our products and services, to bring new products to market, to improve our operations through innovation and technology, and to look after our employees who ensure our customers’ safety and satisfaction,” he said about the airline and its associated air and travel services provider.

He added that the global demand for air transport and travel services has remained strong despite geopolitical events and economic concerns.

“We expect this demand resilience to continue for the rest of 2025-26 and look forward to increasing our capacity to grow revenues as new A350 aircraft join the Emirates fleet, and new facilities come online at dnata.”

The company also said its employee base has increased to 124,297 by September 30, up 3% from six months ago, to support increased operations and business activities.