Emirates’ inflight catering bill rises 12% to Dh5.3 billion
Airline spent an average Dh14.6m a day on inflight catering and services during the year
Dubai: Emirates spent Dh5.316 billion on inflight catering and services during the financial year ended March 31, 2026, an increase of Dh570 million from the previous year, according to the airline’s annual financial statements.
The figure was 12 per cent higher than the Dh4.746 billion recorded a year earlier and works out to an average of about Dh443 million a month, or Dh14.6 million a day. On a daily basis, Emirates spent roughly Dh1.56 million more than it did in the previous financial year.
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The airline’s accounts classify the expense under “inflight catering and services”, a category broader than meals and drinks alone. It accounted for about 4.9 per cent of Emirates’ total operating costs of Dh108.129 billion during the year.
The annual report shows that inflight catering and services was Emirates’ seventh-largest operating cost, behind jet fuel, employee costs, depreciation and amortisation, sales and marketing, handling and aircraft maintenance. Aircraft maintenance alone cost Dh6.03 billion, slightly above the catering and services bill.
The increase in catering costs was considerably faster than the airline’s overall cost growth. Emirates said total operating costs rose 2 per cent during the financial year, while its fuel bill, still its largest single expense, fell to Dh31.2 billion from Dh32.6 billion.
The higher catering bill came during a year in which Emirates continued to broaden its global network and invest heavily in the passenger experience. The airline added four destinations, Da Nang, Hangzhou, Siem Reap and Shenzhen, taking its network to 152 cities in 80 countries by the end of March. Total passenger and cargo capacity increased 1 per cent.
Emirates carried 53.2 million passengers during the year, while continuing a multibillion-dollar cabin retrofit programme and introducing new onboard products and services. By March 31, 91 aircraft had completed full cabin refurbishments under the airline’s US$5 billion retrofit programme.
The airline reported record revenue of Dh130.9 billion and profit after tax of Dh19.7 billion for 2025-26, its strongest profit performance to date.
