DUBAI, 15 September 2026: Emirates carried over 8.6 million passengers between July and August; arrivals into Dubai on Emirates in the second half of August alone were up 7% on the same period in 2025.
Fleet and network: 104 aircraft retrofitted to date; Premium Economy now available on 137 aircraft. 18 aircraft delivered since January, with six more A350s arriving before year-end.
Bookings for winter, beginning in late October, are tracking positively despite a broader shift where customers are making travel decisions closer to departure. South Africa, Brazil, India, Portugal, Egypt, Ghana, Colombia, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are among the markets where demand is currently tracking ahead of last year, alongside Nepal through Emirates’ partnership with flydubai.
Strong summer demand
Emirates services to and from West Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Americas and Africa all recorded seat load factors well above 75% during the summer, with particularly strong performance on routes to and from Indonesia, Côte d’Ivoire and across the UK.
Over the summer, the airline boosted its flexibility proposition with one free date change anywhere across the network, and unlimited free date changes to Dubai. It also reduced refund fees on Dubai journeys. It introduced Comprehensive Travel Cover, a first-of-its-kind policy which includes medical cover protecting against conflict and airspace disruption, backed by airline-managed accommodation, ground support and rebooking where needed.
More destinations
Emirates’ network will continue to expand heading into winter, with new destinations, additional frequencies and more of its latest aircraft deployed across key markets.
Helsinki joins the Emirates network on 1 October, launching with the A350. The aircraft currently serves 30 destinations from Dubai, increasing to 36 by year-end.
Emirates is also adding capacity on several routes to meet demand. Accra, Tokyo Narita, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi will receive second daily services, while one of the airline’s daily Delhi services will be upgraded to an A380.
Emirates will deploy the A350 to Larnaca, Malta, Nairobi and Hamburg from late October, followed by Mauritius in November. Retrofitted Boeing 777s will be introduced to Stockholm in October and Frankfurt in November, extending Emirates’ latest onboard products to more markets.
Beyond its own network, Emirates’ 168 codeshare, interline and intermodal partnerships give customers access to an additional 1,750 cities. On an average day, more than 13,000 Emirates customers connect to their destinations on services operated by partner airlines.
(Source: Emirates)
