Emirates Group Achieves Historic AED24.4 Billion Profit for 2025-26

The Emirates Group has released its financial results for the 2025-26 year, celebrating unprecedented profit, revenue, and cash reserves despite significant operational hurdles in the closing month of the year.

For the fiscal year that concluded on March 31, 2026, the Emirates Group reported a profit before tax of AED24.4 billion (approximately US$6.6 billion), reflecting a 7 percent rise from the prior year. This achievement corresponded with a profit-before-tax margin of 16.2 percent.

Total revenue for the Group reached AED150.5 billion (US$41 billion), marking a 3 percent increase year-over-year, while cash assets surged to AED59.6 billion (US$16.2 billion), an impressive 12 percent hike. EBITDA was recorded at AED41.1 billion (US$11.2 billion), showcasing robust operational performance throughout the business.

Emirates airline reaffirmed its status as the world’s leading profitable airline, posting a record profit before tax of AED22.8 billion (US$6.2 billion), representing a 7 percent increase year-on-year, with a profit margin of 17.4 percent.

Revenue for Emirates airline alone reached AED130.9 billion (US$35.7 billion), up 2 percent compared to the previous year, and cash reserves peaked at AED54.9 billion (US$15 billion), a 10 percent increase over March 2025.

Simultaneously, dnata experienced impressive growth across all sectors. The company reported a profit before tax of AED1.6 billion (US$437 million), reflecting a 2 percent rise, with a profit margin of 6.8 percent.

dnata's revenue rose 12 percent, reaching AED23.6 billion (US$6.4 billion), and cash assets saw a substantial 28 percent increase to AED4.7 billion (US$1.3 billion).

Additionally, the Emirates Group declared a dividend of AED3.5 billion (US$1 billion) to its owner, the Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD).

This fiscal year marked an increase in UAE corporate tax for the Group, rising from 9 percent to 15 percent as part of the new Pillar Two tax regulations in the UAE. Consequently, after-tax profit reached AED21 billion (US$5.7 billion), up 3 percent from the previous year.

Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum stated that these exceptional results underscore the resilience of the Emirates Group's business model, characterized by safety, innovation, excellence, skilled personnel, and strong collaborations.

He noted the continued strong demand for the Group's products and services throughout most of the financial year, which contributed to healthy profit margins due to investments in technology, employee experience, and branding.

He recognized the supportive vision of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, and Maktoum bin Mohammed Al Maktoum in enhancing Dubai’s aviation industry and infrastructure.

According to Sheikh Ahmed, the robust aviation ecosystem in Dubai, along with strategic infrastructure investments, ensured safe commercial flights during challenging conditions. Emirates and dnata gradually reinstated operations at Dubai International Airport, while cargo services expanded to facilitate essential goods transit throughout the UAE.

Throughout the fiscal year, the Emirates Group invested AED17.9 billion (US$4.9 billion) in new aircraft, enhanced technologies, facilities, and equipment to back future growth strategies.

Moreover, the Group’s workforce expanded by 8 percent, totaling 130,919 employees, as Emirates and dnata continued international recruitment to align with their growth trajectory. Notably, the number of UAE national employees surpassed 4,000, highlighting the Group’s commitment to nurturing and retaining local talent.