Emirates enters winter season with strong booking momentum

Emirates hiring continues as airline targets further growth

Dubai: Emirates Airline is seeing strong booking momentum heading into the winter season, with demand matching or exceeding last year's levels in several markets, according to Adnan Kazim, Emirates' Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026 in Dubai, Kazim said booking trends over the past three weeks have been positive, with demand remaining strong for both transit passengers and visitors travelling directly to Dubai. He said Dubai continues to benefit from its busy calendar of events and activities, particularly during the winter season, helping sustain strong tourism demand. Kazim also confirmed that Emirates continues to recruit employees and has not halted hiring. He said the airline's growth plans and the addition of new aircraft require recruitment across specialised fields, with hiring continuing in line with operational requirements. According to Kazim, several markets are recording particularly strong demand, including the UK, China, India, Pakistan and a number of African countries. He also highlighted strong performance in North and South America, particularly Brazil and Argentina, where flights are operating at high load factors. He noted that Emirates achieved seat occupancy rates of between 75% and 77% during the recent summer season, describing the performance as an excellent result despite travel restrictions that affected parts of the region. Kazim said the airline's previously announced figure of 8.6 million passengers carried during July and August reflected the strength of both the Emirates and Dubai brands, adding that booking volumes continue to increase on a weekly basis. He expressed confidence that winter demand could match or exceed summer levels, noting that December is traditionally one of the strongest periods of the year, supported by major events taking place in Dubai. Emirates has already added flights on several routes for the winter season, which Kazim said will help attract additional tourist traffic. Regarding passenger flows, he said around 70% of Emirates passengers currently travel in transit through Dubai, while 30% are travelling to the emirate as their final destination. He said one of the airline's objectives is to convert more transit passengers into visitors by encouraging them to spend time in Dubai. Kazim revealed that Emirates plans to announce new promotional initiatives after Arabian Travel Market aimed at boosting winter tourism to Dubai, targeting both direct visitors and transit passengers. He also highlighted strong booking activity for October, particularly during the final 10 days of the month, which coincide with mid-term school holidays. Kazim said the airline expects strong visitor flows from the UK and other European markets during that period, while outbound travel demand from the UAE is also expected to remain robust, mainly to destinations within four to five hours' flying time. Looking ahead, he said Emirates will continue expanding its network and adding flights, while increasing the number of Airbus A350 aircraft in its fleet from 30 currently to 36 by the end of the year. The additional six A350s will be deployed on routes across the network and support further capacity growth. Kazim added that Emirates is preparing to announce new destinations for the summer 2027 season, noting that the airline is currently receiving approximately one A350 aircraft per month. He also expressed optimism about the expected arrival of Boeing 777X aircraft in summer 2027, saying the new fleet additions will provide fresh momentum for the airline's growth plans.