Emirates Group posts record $3.3 billion half-year profit

The Emirates Group has announced a record profits of AED 12.2 billion ($3.3 billion) for the first six months of 2025, driven by strong travel demand "despite geo-political events and economic concerns in some markets".

After accounting for tax, the Group’s profit is AED 10.6 billion ($2.9 billion), up 13 per cent from last year.

Group revenue was AED75.4 billion ($20.6 billion) for the first six months of 2025-26, up 4 per cent from AED 70.8 billion ($19.3 billion) last year.

"The Group has once again delivered an outstanding performance, surpassing our half-year results of last year to achieve a new record profit for H1 2025-26," highlighted Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, adding that "Emirates maintains its position as the world’s most profitable airline for this half-year reporting period" driven by "unflagging demand and growing customer preference for our premium products and services".

It marks, he added, a "testament to the strength of our business model and the continued momentum of Dubai’s growth as a global hub to live, work, visit, and do business in".

To support increased operations and business activities, the Emirates Group’s employee base, compared to March 2025, grew 3 per cent to an overall count of 124,927 in September 2025. Both Emirates and dnata have ongoing recruitment drives to support their future requirements.

Emirates Airline posted half-year profit before tax of AED 11.4 billion ($3.1 billion), up 17 per cent, and revenue of AED 65.6 billion ($17.9 billion), up 6 per cent, against the same period last year.

“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," added Sheikh Ahmed.

Between April and September, Emirates received 5 new A350 aircraft, adding more Business Class and Premium Economy seats into the airline’s inventory. It also added 23 aircraft (6 A380s, 17 Boeing 777s) with fully refreshed interiors rolled out of the airline’s $ 5 billion retrofit programme.  

I am proud to announce that The Emirates Group has once again achieved a new record half-year performance, delivering outstanding results for the first half of 2025–26 – with profits up 17% from last year. Emirates also maintained its position as the world’s most profitable… pic.twitter.com/xkjB3foTA9

— HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum (@HHAhmedBinSaeed) November 6, 2025

dnata saw strong growth in the first six months of 2025-26, as it continued to ramp up operations across its cargo and ground handling, catering and retail, and travel services businesses. It achieved profit before tax of AED 843 million ($230 million), up 17 per cent compared to the same period last year, against a record half-year revenue of AED 11.7 billion ($ 3.2 billion), up 13 per cent.

The Group closed the first half year of 2025-26 with a record cash position of AED 56.0 billion (US$ 15.2 billion) on 30 September 2025, compared to AED 53.4 billion (US$ 14.6 billion) on 31 March 2025.

"Looking ahead, we remain focused on expanding capacity and unlocking new opportunities as Emirates’ A350s join the fleet and dnata’s new facilities come online. The outlook is strong, and so is our commitment to continuous innovation and excellence," Sheikh Ahmed added.