Airline sees growth in demand and more leisure travellers flying first class and business class
Emirates delivered a record first-half profit in 2024, Photo: Reuters/Christopher Pike
An Emirates aeroplane at Dubai International Airport. The airline offers a twice daily service to Dubai from Dublin. Photo: Getty
Dubai-based airline Emirates said it will have carried 450,000 passengers on its Dublin-Dubai service this year, with “significant growth” in demand from Irish flyers for services to destinations such as Australia, Thailand, South Africa and Vietnam. The number of passengers for the year is in line with the number it carried last year on the route. The airline, which started services to Dublin in 2012, operates a twice-daily service between the capital and Dubai.
Anita Thomas, the Ireland country manager for Emirates, said that more families are choosing Dubai as a holiday destination and that there has been a “notable rise” in first and business class bookings by leisure travellers.
“We’re seeing a shift in booking trends, with more leisure passengers opting for our premium cabins and planning travel well in advance,” she said.
“This is compared to the last two years where more corporate travellers were opting for our premium cabins, and they tend to book later than leisure travellers who book well in advance,” she added.
Ms Thomas predicted that the trend is likely to continue into 2025, with destinations including Dubai, Australia and Bali showing “robust early bookings”.
The Dublin-Dubai service is operated by a Boeing 777. Each aircraft can carry 25 tonnes of cargo along with 360 passengers. Emirates SkyCargo transported 4,500 tonnes of freight on its Dublin service between January and September this year.
The airline said that pharmaceuticals, particularly temperature-sensitive products, were among the top exports from Ireland, with high demand in cities such as Osaka, Singapore, Taipei, Beijing and Shanghai.
Emirates said that export volumes of medical devices on its aircraft from Ireland were also higher during 2024, especially to Shanghai and Mumbai.
An Emirates aeroplane at Dubai International Airport. The airline offers a twice daily service to Dubai from Dublin. Photo: Getty
It added that exports of perishable goods, including seafood and other foodstuffs, recorded strong growth, driven by demand in Dubai, Guangzhou and Shanghai. Globally, Emirates SkyCargo reported a 16pc increase in cargo volumes, moving 1.2 million tonnes in the first half of 2024, with yields up by 11pc.
This growth was propelled by e-commerce and high-value goods, including perishables, according to Emirates.
Emirates carried a total of 26.9 million passengers around the world between April and September of 2024, a 3pc rise on the corresponding period last year.
Last month, Emirates reported a record first-half pre-tax profit of AED10.4bn (€2.7bn).
