Emirates Achieves Record 2025 Performance in Ireland: 453,000 Passengers and 48% Cargo Surge

Phuket and Vietnam emerging as top destinations for 2026.

Emirates has announced a strong year of growth and strategic investment in the Irish market, with 2025 shaping up to be one of its most successful years to date. Key highlights include robust passenger numbers, a solid cargo performance across diversified product categories, significant demand for the airline’s new Premium Economy service, and upcoming enhancements to the onboard experience.

Emirates carried approximately 275,000 passengers from Dublin to its global network, via its hub in Dubai, between January and December 2025, based on year-end forecasts.

2025 passenger numbers between Dublin and Dubai, which includes both in and outbound travel, will exceed 450,000 for the first time, and will reach more than 453,000 by year end.

“This growth is attributable, in part, to the addition of a third daily service on the Dublin route in October this year, together with Emirates’ ongoing aircraft retrofit programme, which saw the introduction of a Premium Economy offering for passengers from Ireland,” said Emirates country manager for Ireland, Anita Thomas. “While demand for long-haul travel remains strong, we are equally focused on strengthening inbound tourism by connecting visitors from around the world with Ireland.”

Emirates is now the only carrier to operate a four-class offering from Dublin; First, Business, and Economy Class, with the new Premium Economy offering introduced in June this year. “This formed part of Emirates’ US$5 billion cabin retrofit programme, the largest known upgrade project in aviation history, which aims to refurbish 219 aircraft by 2026,” said Anita Thomas.

Since its launch on the Dublin route, Emirates’ Premium Economy has delivered sustained, high demand. “While we anticipated strong initial interest, bookings for 2025 and well into 2026 have remained consistently above expectations, with customers securing seats months in advance,” said Anita Thomas. “Premium Economy bridges the gap between Economy and Business Class with a level of comfort and value that appeals to both leisure and corporate passengers.”

Cargo performance soars – 48%

SkyCargo, Emirates cargo division, transported an estimated 6.2 million kilograms of freight from Ireland between January and December 2025, an increase of 48% on the same period last year.

The leading cargo destinations for Irish produce include Dubai, Shanghai, Singapore, Manila, and Incheon in South Korea. Carrying up to 25 tonnes of cargo on each flight, the top five products carried out of Dublin were food, including seafood and dairy; pharmaceuticals; medical goods; computer components and high-tech products.

“Beyond the substantial Irish cargo we carry – much of it never seen – our passengers also experience the best of Ireland with our onboard products, every time they fly,” said Anita Thomas. “From Keogh’s Crisps and Killowen Yogurt to Baileys Original Irish Cream Liqueur and VOYA, Irish products feature prominently across our global onboard offering. Dublin’s Botany Weavers also provides textiles, including seat and curtain fabrics and aircraft carpets and Emirates is proud to fly the Irish flag on a global stage.

“Air connectivity to the Middle East, Africa and Australasia is essential for tourism, international business, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and trade. Offering the only daily non-stop flight from Dublin to Dubai, Emirates delivers the most direct and efficient access to the Middle East and beyond, eliminating the need for any European stop-over.”

Top five destinations

The airline’s top five destinations for passengers travelling from Ireland in 2025 were Dubai, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and Bangkok. “Australia is one of our most in-demand destinations from Dublin,” said Anita Thomas. “This sustained growth is driven not only by the large numbers of young Irish people relocating to Australia for work and adventure, but also by strong volumes of passengers visiting friends and family down under. The performance of these routes reflects the deep cultural and economic ties between Ireland and Australia, and we expect this momentum to remain robust in the year ahead.”

According to Thomas, two destinations stood out for exceptional growth over the past 12 months, with Phuket and Vietnam (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City) seeing the sharpest rise in traffic. Early booking patterns for 2026 indicate Vietnam is emerging as the “new hip destination” among Irish travellers.

Innovation and growth

At the recent Dubai Air Show Emirates announced impending fleet growth with the order of 65 additional Boeing aircraft 777-9 and eight additional Airbus A350-900 aircraft worth US$41.4 billion, bringing Emirates’ total wide-body orders to 375 aircraft with deliveries through 2038.

The airline debuted Starlink WiFi on one of its retrofitted Boeing 777-300ERs at the Dubai Airshow so visitors could experience high-speed connectivity firsthand. The airline will install Starlink on 232 aircraft within the next two years, delivering significantly faster and more reliable connectivity across its fleet – including flights serving Dublin.

“The strong performance we’ve seen in 2025 reflects both the resilience of the Irish market and the growing appeal of Emirates’ global network. With record interest in new destinations, healthy cargo volumes, and exceptional uptake of Premium Economy, we’re optimistic about what the next year will bring,” concluded Anita Thomas. For more information on Emirates, including its latest financial results, visit www.emirates.com