The Emirates Group announced a pre-tax profit of $3.3 billion for the first half of the 2025-26 financial year, covering the period from April 1 to September 30, 2025, marking the fourth consecutive year of record half-year profitability. The group’s profit after tax stood at $2.9 billion, a 13 percent increase from the same period last year. Demonstrating strong operating performance, the group maintained a robust EBITDA of $5.7 billion, showing a 3 percent uptick year-on-year.
EBITDA, which stands for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, is a metric used to gauge a company’s operational profitability without factoring in financing and accounting expenses. Group revenue increased by 4 percent to $20.6 billion during the period.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group, attributed the positive results to the continuous demand and growing customer preference for their products and services, which drove both revenue growth and profitability. Despite geopolitical events and economic uncertainties in some markets, global demand for air transport and travel services remained strong. The group anticipates this resilience to persist throughout the remainder of 2025-26 and is eager to enhance capacity with the addition of new A350 aircraft to the Emirates fleet and the launch of new dnata facilities.
Emirates Airline solidified its position as the world’s most profitable airline for the period, reporting a record pre-tax profit of $3.1 billion for the first half of 2025-26, a significant increase from $2.6 billion the previous year. Emirates’ revenue, including other operating income, climbed to $17.9 billion, reflecting a 6 percent rise year-on-year, while its profit after tax reached $2.7 billion, marking a 13 percent surge.
Emirates’ cargo division, Emirates SkyCargo, transported 1.25 million tonnes of freight during the first six months, showing a 4 percent increase from the same period the prior year. dnata, the Group’s other major business, experienced robust growth across its cargo and ground handling, catering and retail, and travel services segments. dnata achieved a half-year revenue record of $3.2 billion, up 13 percent year-on-year, with its profit before tax climbing by 17 percent to $230 million. Profit after tax also saw a substantial increase, reaching $190 million, a 22 percent rise.
The Emirates Group’s total workforce expanded by 3 percent from March 31, 2025, reaching 124,927 employees by September 30, 2025. Both Emirates and dnata are actively recruiting to support their expansion strategies.