Emirates Group first-half profit falls 66%

Emirates Group reported a 66% year-on-year drop in first-half profit after tax to AED 3.6 billion for the six months ended September 30, 2026, as regional conflict disrupted aviation operations and higher fuel costs weighed on results. Group revenue fell 12% to AED 66.2 billion, according to results published Thursday. The airline Emirates, the group’s largest business, recorded profit after tax of AED 3.3 billion, down 66%, and revenue of AED 56.9 billion, down 13%. It carried 21.8 million passengers, 22% fewer than a year earlier. The group also includes aviation services company dnata, which reported a 51% decline in profit before tax to AED 410 million and a 7% revenue decrease to AED 11 billion. Emirates said intermittent airspace restrictions and closures, along with government travel advisories, affected flight operations and passenger movements. By September 30, the airline said it had restored 91% of its pre-disruption network, serving 150 airports in 78 countries and territories. Available seat kilometres, a measure of passenger capacity, fell 17%, and the average seat factor dropped to 72% from 79.5% a year earlier. Fuel costs rose sharply despite reduced flying....