Emirates spent an average Dh14.6 million a day on inflight catering and services during the year.
Dubai: Emirates spent Dh5.316 billion on inflight catering and related services during the financial year ended March 31, 2026, marking an increase of Dh570 million from the previous year, according to the airline’s annual financial statements.
The spending was 12 per cent higher than the Dh4.746 billion recorded a year earlier. That translates to an average of about Dh443 million a month, or Dh14.6 million a day. On a daily basis, Emirates spent approximately Dh1.56 million more on inflight catering and services than in the previous financial year.
The airline’s financial statements classify the expenditure under “inflight catering and services”, a category that covers more than just meals and beverages. The expense accounted for approximately 4.9 per cent of Emirates’ total operating costs of Dh108.129 billion for the year.
The annual report lists inflight catering and services as Emirates’ seventh-largest operating expense, ranking behind jet fuel, employee costs, depreciation and amortisation, sales and marketing, handling, and aircraft maintenance. Aircraft maintenance alone cost Dh6.03 billion during the year, slightly more than the airline’s catering and services expenditure.
The rise in catering costs was significantly faster than the airline’s overall increase in expenses. Emirates reported that total operating costs grew by 2 per cent during the financial year, while its fuel bill — still the airline’s largest single expense — declined to Dh31.2 billion, from Dh32.6 billion a year earlier.
The increase in catering expenditure came as Emirates continued to expand its global network and invest heavily in enhancing the passenger experience. During the year, the airline added four destinations — Da Nang, Hangzhou, Siem Reap and Shenzhen — taking its network to 152 cities across 80 countries by the end of March. Overall passenger and cargo capacity grew by 1 per cent.
Emirates carried 53.2 million passengers during the financial year while continuing its multibillion-dollar cabin refurbishment programme and rolling out new onboard products and services. By March 31, 91 aircraft had undergone full cabin refurbishments as part of the airline’s US$5 billion retrofit programme.
The airline reported record revenue of Dh130.9 billion and a Dh19.7 billion profit after tax for 2025-26, marking its strongest profit performance to date.
