The Emirates Group has announced record financial results for the 2025-26 financial year, posting its highest-ever profit, revenue and cash balance despite major disruptions in the Gulf region during the final month of the reporting period.

For the financial year ending March 31, 2026, the Dubai-based aviation giant reported a record profit before tax of AED 24.4 billion (US$ 6.6 billion), marking a 7% increase compared to last year. Group revenue also reached a record AED 150.5 billion (US$ 41 billion), up 3% year-on-year.

The Group’s cash assets climbed 12% to AED 59.6 billion (US$ 16.2 billion), while EBITDA stood at AED 41.1 billion (US$ 11.2 billion), highlighting strong operational performance.

After accounting for the UAE’s higher corporate tax rate of 15%, introduced under the Pillar Two tax rules, Emirates Group posted a profit after tax of AED 21 billion (US$ 5.7 billion), up 3% from the previous year.

Emirates Becomes World’s Most Profitable Airline

Emirates airline retained its position as the world’s most profitable airline during the 2025-26 reporting year.

The airline reported a record profit before tax of AED 22.8 billion (US$ 6.2 billion), an increase of 7%, with a strong profit margin of 17.4%.

Revenue rose 2% to AED 130.9 billion (US$ 35.7 billion), while cash assets reached an all-time high of AED 54.9 billion (US$ 15 billion).

Emirates carried 53.2 million passengers during the year and maintained a passenger seat factor of 78.4%. Passenger yield increased by 4% due to strong travel demand and premium services.

The airline’s cargo division, Emirates SkyCargo, transported 2.4 million tonnes of cargo, up 3% year-on-year, generating AED 16.2 billion in revenue.

Gulf Tensions Impacted Operations

Chairman and Chief Executive HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said the Group achieved outstanding results despite military activity in the Gulf region that disrupted global air traffic in February 2026.

He said Emirates and dnata acted quickly to support passengers, protect operations and restore services at Dubai International Airport. While passenger capacity remains below pre-disruption levels, cargo operations have increased to support the movement of essential goods.

Sheikh Ahmed added that the Group’s strong business model, investments in infrastructure, technology, customer service and employees helped it overcome the challenges.

Major Investments and Fleet Expansion

During 2025-26, the Emirates Group invested AED 17.9 billion (US$ 4.9 billion) in aircraft, technology, facilities and equipment to support future growth.

Emirates added 15 Airbus A350 aircraft to its fleet and launched services to four new destinations including Da Nang, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Siem Reap.

By March 2026, Emirates operated flights to 152 cities in 80 countries and expanded its partnerships to provide access to over 1,700 cities worldwide.

At the Dubai Airshow 2025, Emirates announced aircraft orders worth US$ 41.4 billion, including 65 Boeing 777-9 aircraft and eight additional Airbus A350-900 jets.

The airline’s total fleet stood at 277 aircraft with an average fleet age of 10.8 years.

Strong Performance from dnata

dnata also reported strong growth across its operations.

The aviation and travel services company posted a record profit before tax of AED 1.6 billion (US$ 437 million), up 2% from last year.

Revenue increased 12% to AED 23.6 billion (US$ 6.4 billion), while cash assets rose 28% to AED 4.7 billion (US$ 1.3 billion).

dnata handled nearly 889,000 aircraft turns globally and processed 3.2 million tonnes of cargo during the year.

The company also expanded operations through investments in airport facilities, catering services and cargo infrastructure in countries including Australia, the Netherlands and Italy.

Workforce and Future Outlook

The Emirates Group workforce increased by 8% to 130,919 employees globally. The number of UAE national employees crossed 4,000 during the year.

Looking ahead, Sheikh Ahmed said the Group remains financially strong despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East.

He confirmed Emirates is well-hedged against fuel price fluctuations until 2028-29 and will continue investing in aircraft deliveries, retrofit programmes, customer experience and operational growth.

The Group also announced a dividend payout of AED 3.5 billion (US$ 1 billion) to its owner, the Investment Corporation of Dubai.

Sustainability and Community Initiatives

The Emirates Group continued its sustainability efforts during 2025-26 through investments in sustainable aviation fuel research, electric ground vehicles and waste reduction programmes.

The Group also supported multiple community and charity initiatives globally through education, medical missions, youth sports programmes and food donation campaigns.