Emirates reports increase in demand from Dublin, 31% growth in business & first class

450,000+ customers on Dublin-Dubai route this year.

31% growth in first and business class bookings as Emirates confirmed as leading provider of premium seats out of Dublin.

Contact lenses and chocolate – more than four thousand tonnes of cargo carried.

Emirates today confirmed that it will have carried more than 450,000 passengers on the Dublin-Dubai route during 2023, which sees a double daily service both into and out of Dublin Airport. Emirates named Australia as its top international destination from Ireland, as thousands of passengers headed down under for holidays and to visit family and friends this year.

Country manager for Emirates in Ireland, Anita Thomas confirmed that 2023 is shaping up to be one of the airline’s most successful in the airline’s history, demonstrating buoyant demand and an even stronger performance than pre-pandemic.  “The demand for international travel has returned stronger than ever since the dark days of the pandemic. Dubai is proving a hugely popular holiday destination for the majority of our customers travelling from Ireland, but Australia is without a doubt the busiest destination on the route.”  Emirates is the only airline flying direct to Dubai from Ireland and currently serves 144 destinations worldwide.

Globally, Emirates carried 26.1million passengers between April and September 2023, up 31% from the same period last year.

31% growth

One of the key trends for 2023 on the Dublin-Dubai route was an increase in bookings in business and first class, which Anita Thomas confirmed reached unprecedented levels in 2023, growing by 31% on 2022 **.  “While our award-winning business and first class offerings have always performed strongly, this year was unmatched as not just our corporate passengers, but more and more leisure customers opted to fly better with Emirates.” The world’s largest international airline offers eight first class seats and cabins and 42 business class seats on board a state-of-the-art Emirates Boeing 777, which serves the Dublin route. Emirates is also the leading airline provider of premium seats out of Dublin.

Contact lenses and chocolate

State-of-the-art Boeing 777s serve the Dublin route, each of which can carry 360 passengers and 25 tonnes of cargo. During 2023 Emirates carried almost 5,000 tonnes of goods from Dublin to Dubai route and beyond to destinations including Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Shanghai, which are strong markets for food exports from Ireland such as crabs, oysters and salmon.

Pharmaceuticals make up a significant percentage of the freight carried in the aircrafts’ bellyhold, along with medical devices and contact lenses. Aircraft parts including aircraft seats can also be found in the top ten list of freight carried out of Ireland to international markets.

Emirates carries a number of Irish products onboard for passengers to enjoy in selected classes including VOYA, Butlers Chocolates, Killowen Yogurt and Keogh’s Crisps.  Emirates serves more than 40 million pieces of gourmet chocolate onboard each year, to passengers in all classes.

2023 highlights

It was a year of growth, expansion and an even greater focus on sustainable operations, key highlights of which include:

• At the recent Dubai Airshow, Emirates committed $58billion for 110 additional aircraft, bringing its total order book to 310 wide-body aircraft
• A $950 investment will see the opening of a 1 million square metre engineering facility in Dubai, to support Emirates’ aircraft and operating requirements into the 2040s
• Emirates launched a limited-edition collection of luggage, bags, belts and shoes fashioned from upcycled materials from retrofitted aircraft. The materials used are high quality pure leather from the First-Class Seats, seat fabrics of 95% wool and pure leather from the captain’s seats
• The first Emirates flights operating with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) provided by Shell Aviation took off from Dubai International Airport in October for Sydney
• Emirates hosted multiple recruitment days in Ireland during 2023 to bolster its teams of cabin crew and pilots to support ongoing growth. Emirates employs more than 20,000 cabin crew, hundreds of whom are from Ireland.

Top 5

The top five destinations for 2023 were Dubai, Sydney, Bangkok, Melbourne and Perth, affirming the popularity of Australia for the leisure passenger and those, visiting friends and family down under.  “We are also seeing a lot of young people heading to the major Australian cities on one- and two-year work visas, which is really exciting for them as they take the opportunity to explore and experience new destinations,” said Anita Thomas.

What’s hot for 2024

While Dubai and Australia are expected to remain the leading destinations for passengers from Ireland in 2024, Anita Thomas has seen a spike in booking to Vietnam, which is filled with beautiful and unspoiled landscapes and beaches, bustling and lively cities, fascinating history and culture and fantastic food. 2024 bookings for Bangkok are already busy as both honeymooners and backpackers head to Thailand for unforgettable experiences.  Maldives, the gem of the Indian Ocean and Cape Town, where the famous Table Mountain is one of the leading tourist attractions will claim their spots in the top 10 for 2024 based on current demand.

Globally, Emirates serves 144 destinations across 77 countries and territories. Flying one of the most modern fleets of aircraft in the world offering an award-winning in-flight entertainment service ice with up to 6,500 channels, regionally inspired onboard cuisine and complimentary Wi-Fi in the sky for Skywards members. For more visit www.emirates.com

**First and business class figures March – December 2023