Emirates: operations back to 100 per cent in Italia. Passenger numbers set to rise over the coming months
Bookings for trips between October 2026 and March 2027 have risen by 7.7 per cent in terms of passenger numbers
Key points
Passenger numbers are on the rise as operations in Italia return to 100 per cent capacity. This is the picture painted by the Emirates Group to mark World Tourism Day.
The figures
Globally, the UAE-based giant is currently operating at around 93 per cent of its pre-disruption capacity levels. In Italia, the average load factor on flights to and from the country stood at 70 per cent between July and August and, from 1 August, with the resumption of the EK101/EK102 service between Milan Malpensa and Dubai, the airline has fully restored its pre-conflict flight frequencies and operational capacity, bringing its Italian operations back to 100 per cent. What has changed is the timing of ticket purchases: 35.3 per cent of passengers purchased their tickets within 30 days of departure, an increase of 5.1 percentage points compared with the same period last year, due to an increasingly flexible approach to travel planning, even on long-haul routes.
The outlook
Booking figures for the autumn/winter season show a positive trend in demand from Italia via Dubai. Bookings made in August and September for travel between October 2026 and March 2027 show a 7.7 per cent increase in passenger numbers compared with the same period last year. There are also positive signs from the direct Milan–New York route, which has recorded growth of 7.6 per cent for the autumn/winter season. On the leisure front, Africa continues to attract travellers, with a 4.2 per cent increase driven mainly by leisure destinations in East Africa that are particularly popular with Italians, such as Kenya and Madagascar. Growth in West Asia and the Indian Ocean was even more pronounced (+20.8%), driven by demand for the Seychelles (+43%), the Maldives (+10%), Mauritius (+1%) and Indonesia (+50.4%).
This picture is further reinforced by the extension of the booking window: the number of passengers buying tickets more than 60 days in advance is on the rise. This is a sign of a greater willingness to plan trips for the coming months.
“We look to the future with optimism, and the booking figures bear this out: over the coming months, we are seeing an increase in the number of passengers booking their tickets well in advance – a greater willingness to plan ahead that also reflects the confidence that they can rely on a robust network, capable of ensuring continuity and support in an ever-changing environment. And here at Emirates, we have worked precisely to create these conditions,” said Marco D’Ilario, Emirates’ Manager for Italia.
