Dubai, UAE, 2 October 2026: Emirates has closed the summer season ahead of expectations and is entering the winter travel period with strong booking momentum across a growing number of markets. The positive outlook comes as the airline continues to invest in its fleet, onboard products and global network, while giving customers greater booking flexibility and more comprehensive travel protection.
Between July and August, Emirates carried more than 8.6 million passengers, maintaining healthy seat load factors across its network. The airline is currently operating at around 93% of its pre-disruption capacity, with demand continuing to build as the winter travel season approaches.
Winter bookings, which begin from late October, are tracking positively despite a broader shift in travel behaviour, with customers increasingly making their 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 ahead of the same period last year. Demand from Nepal is also showing positive momentum through Emirates’ partnership with flydubai.
The UAE remains a strong outbound market, while demand for Emirates’ premium travel offering continues to grow. During the summer season, Emirates services to and from West Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Americas and Africa recorded seat load factors above 75%, with particularly strong performance on routes connecting Indonesia, Côte d’Ivoire and the UK.
Demand for Premium Economy also continued to increase across the network, with the Americas recording the strongest growth for the cabin. Dubai, meanwhile, remained a popular inbound destination. In late August alone, more than 500,000 customers arrived in Dubai on Emirates flights, representing a 7% increase compared with the same period last year. Travellers included returning residents preparing for the new school year, new residents relocating to Dubai for work and lifestyle opportunities, as well as visitors taking late-summer breaks in the city.
Throughout the summer, Emirates strengthened its flexibility proposition by offering customers one free date change across its network, as well as unlimited free date changes for journeys to Dubai. The airline also reduced refund fees on Dubai journeys and introduced Comprehensive Travel Cover, a travel protection policy that includes medical coverage in cases involving conflict and airspace disruption, alongside airline-managed accommodation, ground assistance and rebooking support where required.
Emirates is also accelerating investments in its fleet and onboard experience. Since January 2026, the airline has welcomed 18 aircraft, comprising 11 new Airbus A350s and seven Boeing 777 freighters. Another six A350s are scheduled to join the fleet before the end of December.
To date, 104 aircraft have completed Emirates’ extensive retrofit programme, including 53 Boeing 777s and 51 A380s. This has increased the number of aircraft featuring Premium Economy and Emirates’ latest cabin products to 137, with the figure expected to reach 155 aircraft by the end of December.
The expanding product footprint is giving more customers the opportunity to experience Emirates’ latest cabins. Premium Economy is now available on services to 90 destinations, with another six destinations scheduled to receive the product before the end of the year, including Paris, Delhi and Stockholm.
Connectivity is also being enhanced, with close to 50 Emirates aircraft now equipped with Starlink. Installations are progressing alongside the retrofit programme, allowing more passengers to benefit from high-speed inflight internet.
The airline has also introduced several new features this year, including its innovative U-dream headrests onboard the A350 Economy Class, privacy dividers for Premium Economy seats and the next generation of its signature lounges. New lounge facilities are already welcoming customers in Munich, Frankfurt and Manchester.
As winter approaches, Emirates will continue expanding its network through new destinations, additional frequencies and the deployment of its latest aircraft across key markets. Helsinki joined the Emirates network on 1 October with A350 services. The aircraft currently serves 30 destinations from Dubai, with this figure expected to increase to 36 by the end of the year.
To meet rising demand, Emirates is also adding capacity on several routes. Accra, Tokyo Narita, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi will receive a second daily service, while one of the airline’s daily Delhi services will be upgraded to an A380. The A350 will also be deployed to Larnaca, Malta, Nairobi and Hamburg from late October, followed by Mauritius in November. Retrofitted Boeing 777 aircraft will be introduced to Stockholm in October and Frankfurt in November, bringing Emirates’ latest onboard products to more destinations.
Beyond its own network, Emirates’ 168 codeshare, interline and intermodal partnerships provide customers with access to an additional 1,750 cities. On an average day, more than 13,000 Emirates customers connect to their onward destinations through partner airlines.
The Emirates and flydubai partnership also remains a key feature of the Dubai hub experience. Together, the two airlines provide access to more than 214 unique destinations across over 100 countries, generating more than 4,600 connection opportunities through Dubai. Emirates customers can access more than 100 flydubai destinations, while flydubai passengers can connect to more than 140 Emirates destinations.
Kathmandu, Zanzibar, Krabi and Belgrade are among the most popular flydubai destinations for Emirates customers. Since the partnership was launched in 2017, the two airlines have carried more than 28 million passengers across their integrated network.
Network expansion has also continued through flydubai, which added Chittagong in Bangladesh in April 2026, Benghazi in Libya in June, followed by Aleppo in Syria and Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport in July. Further expansion in September included Pokhara in Nepal, strengthening Dubai’s position as a global aviation hub and enhancing connectivity for travellers across the region and beyond.
