Emirates staff to get 22-week bonus after record profit
Emirates Group adds new routes, expands workforce, and boosts inclusive travel access
DUBAI: Emirates Group has confirmed it will award its employees a bonus equivalent to 22 weeks’ salary, marking the third consecutive year of extraordinary profit-sharing.
This follows a blockbuster fiscal year that ended in March, with the group posting after-tax profits of Dh19.06 billion – a 10.6 percent increase from the previous year – cementing Emirates’ status as the world’s most profitable airline.
More than 121,000 employees will benefit from the bonus, with previous years seeing 24-week and 20-week payouts in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Emirates Airline alone earned Dh5.2 billion in profits, with overall group profits reaching Dh22.76 billion ($6.2 billion), up 18 percent from the year before.
Soaring numbers
The Emirates Group, which includes dnata – its global airport services subsidiary – generated total revenues of Dh145.4 billion ($39.6 billion), up 6 percent. Passenger traffic surged to 53.7 million, an increase from 51.9 million, signalling a strong recovery in global long-haul travel. Revenue from Emirates itself stood at Dh128 billion ($34.9 billion), driven by a mix of returning routes, new destinations, and increasing demand.
The group’s financial year (April 1 to March 31) included the first application of the UAE’s 9% corporate tax. Despite this, Emirates maintained a robust 14.9% profit margin. In comparison, Delta Airlines, the top-performing US carrier, awarded a five-week bonus to staff in the same period.
Workforce growth
The group also expanded its workforce by 9 percent, reaching 121,223 employees, and aims to recruit 1,500 new pilots over the next two years. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and CEO, praised the company’s resilience, stating Emirates had turned a profit every year since its inception, except during 1986–87 and the Covid-19 pandemic years.
The airline’s extensive fleet now includes 260 aircraft servicing 148 destinations. It plans to introduce the Airbus A350 and continues a multibillion-dirham retrofit campaign while awaiting the delayed Boeing 777-9 deliveries in 2027.
Inclusive innovation
Beyond financials, Emirates received a Certified Autism Centre designation, recognising efforts to make travel more accessible for neurodivergent passengers. Certified facilities include check-ins at DXB Terminal 3, Port Rashid, Dubai Harbour, Ajman, and DIFC. These locations offer robot-assisted services, early baggage drop-offs, and sensory-aware staff to enhance passenger experience away from busy terminals.
This continued investment in both people and infrastructure reinforces Emirates’ strategic role in connecting continents, and its contribution to roughly 15% of Dubai’s GDP in 2023.