Dubai: The Emirates Group has reported an exceptional financial year for 2025-26, as detailed in its recently released Annual Report. Despite facing a disruptive and challenging final month, the Group achieved new record levels in profit, revenue, and cash balance.
According to Emirates News Agency, for the financial year ending 31st March 2026, the Emirates Group recorded a profit before tax (PBT) of AED24.4 billion (US$6.6 billion), marking a 7 percent increase from the previous year. The Group also reported a PBT margin of 16.2 percent and a record revenue of AED150.5 billion (US$41.0 billion), which is a 3 percent increase over last year's results. Its cash assets reached a record AED59.6 billion (US$16.2 billion), reflecting an increase of 12 percent, while EBITDA stood at AED41.1 billion (US$11.2 billion), showcasing strong operating profitability.
Emirates airline maintained its position as the world's most profitable airline, with a record PBT of AED22.8 billion (US$6.2 billion), up 7 percent from the previous year, and a PBT margin of 17.4 percent. The airline also reported record revenue of AED130.9 billion (US$35.7 billion), a 2 percent increase from the previous year, and reached its highest-ever cash assets level at AED54.9 billion (US$15.0 billion), a 10 percent increase from 31st March 2025.
dnata, another key part of the Emirates Group, also showed solid growth and performance across its business units, achieving a record PBT of AED1.6 billion (US$437 million), up 2 percent from last year, with a PBT margin of 6.8 percent. dnata's revenue increased by 12 percent to AED23.6 billion (US$6.4 billion), and cash assets rose by 28 percent to AED4.7 billion (US$1.3 billion).
The Emirates Group announced a dividend of AED3.5 billion (US$1.0 billion) to its owner, the Investment Corporation of Dubai. The increase in the UAE corporate tax rate from 9 percent to 15 percent due to the adoption of Pillar Two tax rules impacted the Group as well. After accounting for the tax charge, the Group's profit after tax is AED21.0 billion (US$5.7 billion), a 3 percent increase from the 2024-25 financial year.
H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates airline and Group, emphasized the strength and resilience of the Group's business model, noting the positive performance across the Group for the first 11 months of 2025-26. He attributed the success to strong demand for products and services, healthy margins, and sustained investments.
Sheikh Ahmed also highlighted the strategic vision of Dubai's leadership and the advantages of operating from Dubai, where investments in infrastructure and a cohesive aviation ecosystem have facilitated the restoration of operations at DXB, despite operating at lower passenger capacity than pre-disruption levels.
In 2025-26, the Emirates Group invested AED17.9 billion (US$4.9 billion) in new aircraft, facilities, and technologies to support its growth. The Group's workforce expanded by 8 percent to 130,919 employees, with an increase in its UAE national workforce to over 4,000, indicating the success of its efforts to attract and retain local talent.