DUBAI: Emirates airline reported a 66% drop in first-half net profit on Thursday as disruptions to regional airspace caused by the US-Israeli war with Iran affected travel across the Middle East and sent jet fuel prices soaring.
Emirates' net profit in the six months ending September 30 came in at 3.3 billion dirhams ($903 million), while revenue was down 13% to 56.9 billion dirhams in spite of what it said was the solid contribution of its cargo business and "enduring travel demand across its markets".
The war disrupted travel in the region this year, causing flight delays, cancellations and diversions across the Middle East as airspace in several countries closed intermittently.
Gulf carriers, some of the world's biggest, have gradually resumed their activity, but recent attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have further clouded the outlook for a full recovery.
"The first six months of 2026-27 brought significant challenges to Emirates' operations as intermittent airspace restrictions and closures across the region tested the airline's operational agility, while government travel advisories reshaped consumer choices and travel flows," Emirates Group, the airline's Dubai-based parent, said in a statement.
Emirates was operating 91% of its pre-disruption network as of the end of September, it said.
Available seat kilometres (ASK) - the industry's standard measure of passenger-carrying capacity - fell 17% in the first six months while average passenger seat factor dipped to 72% compared with 79.5% during the same period last year.
The airline carried a total of 21.8 million passengers in the first six months, down 22% from the same period a year earlier. - Reuters
