Emirates Group is set to pay 22 weeks’ salary to all eligible employees, following a record after-tax profit of AED 20.5 billion (US $5.2 billion) for the 2024–2025 financial year.

The bonus, which is an increase from the previous year's 20-week bonus, will be distributed to eligible employees in the upcoming payroll cycle.

In the rewards and recognition section in the annual report, the company noted: “We remain committed to ensuring our remuneration structures are competitive and responsive to economic realities. 

Recognising the rising cost of living in the UAE and across our global network, we increased basic salaries and allowances to better align with real local costs to support our employees. Following a record profit year in 2023-24, we reinforced our commitment to sharing success by awarding all eligible employees a profit share payment of nearly 40% of their annual basic salary.

Recognition is at the heart of our culture, as is celebrating the dedication and achievements of our people.” 

Significant growth over the years 

The airline released its financial year report, highlighting record-breaking profit, EBITDA, revenue, and cash balance levels, strengthening its position as the most profitable aviation group globally. “Both Emirates and dnata contributed record revenues in 2024-25, as the Group expanded its operations around the world to meet voracious customer demand for its high-quality products and services.” the company stated in the annual report.

H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and CEO of Emirates airline and the group said: “It is no accident that Dubai has produced hugely successful global aviation entities including Emirates and dnata. Dubai’s aviation sector has become an influential force on the global stage thanks to visionary leaders, strategic planning, co-ordinated execution, and strong support from our customers, business partners, and all the people of Dubai. 

Adding: “When the government set up Emirates 40 years ago and we began expanding dnata’s capabilities to support the city’s growth, we had a clear mission - be the best at what we do; and deliver value to Dubai, our stakeholders, and the communities we serve.”

“With that in mind, we’ve kept a laser focus on providing great products and services, and we continually invest in technology and talent to increase our competitive edge. We look after our people and our customers, and we work hard to positively impact our communities.

We don’t cut corners, and we don’t take shortcuts that put our future at risk for short term gains. By building our business models around these principles and Dubai’s unique strengths, the Emirates Group has thrived and stayed resilient through geo-political and socio-economic challenges over the years.”

HH Sheikh Ahmed also expressed: “Through the year, Emirates and dnata were able to move quickly to meet the strong demand for air transport services across markets and win over customers - thanks to our non-stop investments in our people, in building partnerships, and in delivering great products and services.

“I’d like to thank our amazing people at the Emirates Group for achieving another record year, and our customers and partners for their trust and support.

He also extended gratitude to Dubai's leadership. 

Steady workforce growth

Alongside its record profits, the Group’s total workforce grew by 9% to a historic high of 121,223 employees, as Emirates and dnata ramped up global recruitment to support expanding operations and strengthen future capabilities.

The CEO also outlined a vision for 2025–26, highlighting the group’s strong financial position and adaptability in the face of global uncertainty. He added: “We’ve set high targets for ourselves, but I am confident that our talented workforce and Dubai’s winning formula will empower the Emirates Group to forge an even brighter future, and deliver even more value to the people, cities and communities we serve.”  

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The company also highlighted its sustainability agenda by investing in planet-friendly operations, community initiatives, and employee development.

Adding, “During 2024-25, the group expanded its extensive portfolio of programmes for employee development, training, reward and recognition, and well-being. Highlights include: 

• Wejhaty, a futuristic one-stop-shop for employees’ HR needs
• A bespoke engagement zone tailored to our crew community
• An early careers programme and an international scholarship programme for Emiratis
• Enhancement of basic salaries and allowances to balance the rising cost of living in the UAE and across its global network.

DEI Commitment

The company highlighted its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, with a global workforce of 121,223 employees across 85 countries, representing over 180 nationalities.

This mix of backgrounds brings a wide range of perspectives, experiences, and cultures—one of the company’s greatest strengths.

The company shared that, “This year, we have enhanced our reporting approach for greater accuracy and integrity in measuring and tracking progress. We exceeded our set target – increase women’s representation in middle to executive management to 30% by 2025 – by 4% points. dnata also went above and beyond its commitment to the IATA 25by2025 initiative, with women now representing over 31% of management.

“We are proud that our pay and benefits structures are free from gender bias, with remuneration based on role, skills and experience. 

• In most non-operational roles, the basic salary gap between women and men is small.
• In mid-level and junior roles with a larger employee base, the gap has shifted in favour of women, who now earn on average up to 3% more than men. 
• Women in leadership roles earn on average 4-5% less than men in the same grade, due to differences in tenure and experience. 
• In operational roles, pay and benefit scales are based on experience and are free of gender discrimination.”

HR transformation goals

The company also emphasised its commitment to HR transformation sharing, “We are revolutionising our HR technology landscape to be future-focused, globally consistent, reliable and intuitive, enhancing efficiency, performance and employee experience.

By leveraging high-quality data, we enable data-driven decision-making for business leaders, while providing dynamic professional development opportunities for our workforce.

Our suite of advanced data and analytics products offers leadership actionable insights into critical areas such as diversity, recruitment, attrition, attendance and compensation. With an increased emphasis on predictive analytics, we are identifying trends in health and wellbeing and forecasting attendance patterns to optimise workforce planning.

We have embarked on a journey to align our processes and data with the highest standards of governance, quality and compliance. 

Empowered teams with advanced training on data privacy regulations and best practices are implementing rigorous data quality monitoring.

Key initiatives include the introduction of robust data retention policies for various critical functions, and comprehensive process reviews to enhance efficiency, effectiveness and long-term sustainability.”