Emirates Enters Winter With Strong Booking Demand

Emirates is entering the winter travel season with strong booking momentum after carrying more than 8.6 million passengers during July and August, with demand rising across several key markets.

The airline said bookings for the winter season, which begins in late October, are tracking ahead of last year in markets including South Africa, Brazil, India, Portugal, Egypt, Ghana, Colombia, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Demand from Nepal is also performing strongly through Emirates’ partnership with flydubai.

Emirates is currently operating at around 93% of its pre-disruption capacity, with demand continuing to build ahead of the winter season. The UAE remains a strong outbound market, while demand for premium travel continues to increase.

During the second half of August alone, more than half a million passengers arrived in Dubai on Emirates flights, a 7% increase compared with the same period in 2025. The airline said the travellers included residents returning ahead of the new school year, new residents relocating to Dubai and visitors taking late-summer breaks.

Emirates services across West Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Americas and Africa recorded seat load factors above 75% during the summer. Routes to and from Indonesia, Côte d’Ivoire and the UK were among the strongest performers.

Demand for Premium Economy also increased across the network, with the Americas recording the strongest growth for the cabin.

The airline has also expanded its booking flexibility and travel protection options. During the summer, Emirates introduced one free date change across its network and unlimited free date changes for journeys to Dubai. It also reduced refund fees on Dubai journeys and introduced Comprehensive Travel Cover, which includes medical protection against conflict and airspace disruption, along with airline-managed accommodation, ground support and rebooking when required.

Fleet upgrades accelerate

Emirates has received 18 aircraft since January 2026, including 11 new Airbus A350s and seven Boeing 777 freighters. Another six A350s are scheduled to arrive before the end of December.

The airline has so far completed its retrofit programme on 104 aircraft, comprising 53 Boeing 777s and 51 A380s. The programme has helped increase the number of aircraft featuring Premium Economy and Emirates’ latest cabin products to 137.

That figure is expected to reach 155 aircraft by the end of December.

Premium Economy is currently available on services to 90 destinations, with six more destinations scheduled to receive the cabin before the end of the year, including Paris, Delhi and Stockholm.

Emirates is also expanding its inflight connectivity, with nearly 50 aircraft now equipped with Starlink. Installations are continuing alongside the retrofit programme.

The airline has introduced several new products this year, including its U-dream headrests on A350 Economy Class seats, described as the industry’s first, as well as Premium Economy seats featuring privacy dividers. Emirates has also opened its next-generation signature lounges, with new facilities already operating in Munich, Frankfurt and Manchester.

Helsinki added to network

Emirates will further expand its network during the winter season, with Helsinki set to join the network on October 1 using an A350 aircraft.

The A350 currently serves 30 destinations from Dubai, with that number expected to increase to 36 by the end of the year.

The airline is also increasing capacity on several routes. Accra, Tokyo Narita, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi will receive second daily services, while one of Emirates’ daily Delhi services will be upgraded to an A380.

From late October, A350 services will be introduced to Larnaca, Malta, Nairobi and Hamburg, followed by Mauritius in November. Retrofitted Boeing 777 aircraft will be introduced on Stockholm services in October and Frankfurt services in November.

Emirates said its 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 passengers connect to their destinations using partner airlines.

Emirates-flydubai network expands

The partnership between Emirates and flydubai continues to expand connectivity through Dubai.

The two airlines now provide access to more than 214 unique destinations across more than 100 countries, creating 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 began in 2017, the two airlines have carried more than 28 million passengers across their integrated network.

Flydubai added Chittagong in Bangladesh in April 2026, Benghazi in Libya in June, and Aleppo in Syria and Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport in July. Pokhara in Nepal is scheduled to join the network in September.