In pictures: Dubai’s Emirates flies 26.1 million passengers in 6 months

Dubai’s Emirates is firmly in control of the passenger operations arena and remains optimistic about its continued success in the months ahead. The airline recorded an impressive performance, carrying 26.1 million passengers between April 1 and September 30, reflecting a substantial 31 per cent surge compared to last year.

The airline currently operates an average of 1,500 weekly departures from its hub at DXB and 70 freighter weekly departures from DWC.

The flag carrier posted a historic first-half profit in its ongoing fiscal year by increasing its capacity to meet robust international travel demand. And Emirates remains optimistic about the next six months despite challenges such as elevated fuel prices and geopolitical factors.

Emirates’ extensive global network currently covers 144 cities (including Dubai) across 76 countries, utilising its entire Boeing 777 fleet and 104 A380s. And the airline continues to increase flight operations, adding capacity and connections.

During the first half of 2023-24, the airline restored A380 operations to Bali, Beijing, Birmingham, Casablanca, Nice, Shanghai, and Taiwan. In July, it launched daily non-stop services to Montreal, Canada.

The airline recently celebrated a decade of success in Sialkot, Pakistan, with 1.5 million passengers travelling with Emirates on the route since operations began in 2013.

The airline also entered and enhanced codeshare or interline agreements with 8 airlines in the first six months of the 2023-24 financial year, including Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Etihad Airways, Kenya Airways, Philippine Airlines, Maldivian, Sri Lankan Airlines, and United Airlines.

Emirates upgraded its services to Sydney to an all-A380 operation earlier this month. With all three slots already in use at Sydney airport, the airline could commit nearly 2,000 extra weekly seats with the upgrade to its double-decker aircraft on its third daily flight, which started on November 4. The codeshare partnership between Emirates and Qantas has seen over 15 million travellers since its establishment in 2013. It received approvals for a further 5-year extension until 2027.

Emirates marked one of its busiest summers ever after carrying over 14 million passengers across six continents, with average seat loads of over 80 per cent.

To support increased operations and business activities, the Group’s employee base, compared to March 31, grew 6 per cent to an overall count of 108,996 on September 30 this year. “Both Emirates and dnata have ongoing recruitment drives to support their future requirements,” said the Group.