Emirates will launch Helsinki on its network from 1 October, operated by the A350, as the airline reports summer passenger numbers above expectations and continues a fleet retrofit programme now covering 104 aircraft.
Premium Economy rollout extends to 90 destinations
Emirates carried more than 8.6 million passengers between July and August, with arrivals into Dubai in late August up 7 per cent year-on-year. The airline is currently operating at around 93 per cent of pre-disruption capacity, with winter bookings tracking ahead of last year in markets including South Africa, Brazil, India, Portugal, Egypt, Ghana, Colombia, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
Since January 2026, Emirates has taken delivery of 18 aircraft, comprising 11 new A350s and seven Boeing 777 freighters, with six more A350s due before the end of December. To date, 104 aircraft have completed the airline’s retrofit programme, including 53 Boeing 777s and 51 A380s, bringing the number of aircraft with Premium Economy and Emirates’ latest cabin products to 137, rising to 155 by year-end. Premium Economy is now available on services to 90 destinations, with six more, including Paris, Delhi and Stockholm, to receive the product by year-end.
Product investments during the year include U-dream headrests on A350 Economy Class, an industry-first Premium Economy seat with privacy dividers, and next-generation Emirates Lounges, already operating in Munich, Frankfurt and Manchester. Close to 50 Emirates aircraft are now fitted with Starlink Wi-Fi.
Network expansion continues into winter season
Beyond Helsinki, Emirates is adding second daily services to Accra, Tokyo Narita, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, while upgrading one of its daily Delhi services to an A380. The A350 will be deployed to Larnaca, Malta, Nairobi and Hamburg from late October, followed by Mauritius in November, with retrofitted Boeing 777s introduced to Stockholm in October and Frankfurt in November.
Emirates’ partnership with flydubai now provides access to more than 214 unique destinations across over 100 countries, generating more than 4,600 connection opportunities through Dubai. Since the partnership began in 2017, the two airlines have carried more than 28 million passengers across their combined network. flydubai has also added new destinations this year, including Chittagong, Benghazi, Aleppo and Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport, with Pokhara in Nepal added in September.
