On Friday night, ITTN’s Katie Doyle had the absolute pleasure of joining key travel trade in Ballymagarvey Village as Emirates celebrated 15 years in Ireland!
At the end of a tree-lined drive, travel trade gathered in the luxurious 18th-century manor house on Friday night to connect, network and celebrate with the Emirates Irish team and special guest- Vice President of Emirates, Pierfrancesco Carino, who flew in from Dubai.
Violinist Nicole Lonergan set the scene as trade enjoyed champagne and charcuterie nibbles before heading down to the function room where they feasted on a fabulous four course meal followed by a night of laughter, celebration and dancing in the private estate located in the historic Boyne Valley.
Emirates launched their first flight from Ireland in January 2012, with their Dubai route landing in Dublin on January 9th, that same year Emirates deployed its fastest-ever aircraft upgrade with an added 50% capacity and announced its sponsorship of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open. Just three years later, in December 2015, the airline celebrated its one-millionth passenger onboard the Dublin – Dubai route and in October 2021, the daily service had resumed after the pandemic as they celebrated 10 years in Ireland.
Now, at the beginning of 2026; there’s even more to be thankful for! Latest figures show Emirates have achieved record performance in Ireland. 2025 saw a strong year of growth and strategic investment in the Irish market, with last year shaping up to be one of its most successful years to date. Key highlights include robust passenger numbers, a solid cargo performance across diversified product categories, significant demand for the airline’s new Premium Economy service, and upcoming enhancements to the onboard experience.
Emirates carried approximately 275,000 passengers from Dublin to its global network, via its hub in Dubai, between January and December 2025, based on year-end forecasts. 2025 passenger numbers between Dublin and Dubai, which includes both in and outbound travel, will exceed 450,000 for the first time.
Speaking previously to ITTN in December, Anita Thomas, Country Manager for Ireland said: “This growth is attributable, in part, to the addition of a third daily service on the Dublin route in October this year, together with Emirates’ ongoing aircraft retrofit programme, which saw the introduction of a Premium Economy offering for passengers from Ireland. While demand for long-haul travel remains strong, we are equally focused on strengthening inbound tourism by connecting visitors from around the world with Ireland.
“Emirates is now the only carrier to operate a four-class offering from Dublin; First, Business, and Economy Class, with the new Premium Economy offering introduced in June this year. This formed part of Emirates’ US$5 billion cabin retrofit programme, the largest known upgrade project in aviation history, which aims to refurbish 219 aircraft by 2026.”
SkyCargo, Emirates cargo division, transported an estimated 6.2 million kilograms of freight from Ireland between January and December 2025, an increase of 48% on the same period last year. The leading cargo destinations for Irish produce include Dubai, Shanghai, Singapore, Manila, and Incheon in South Korea. Carrying up to 25 tonnes of cargo on each flight, the top five products carried out of Dublin were food, including seafood and dairy; pharmaceuticals; medical goods; computer components and high-tech products.
On Friday night, Anita Thomas highlighted Emirates’ dedication in supporting local, as the airline brings “the best of Ireland with our onboard products, every time they fly. From Keogh’s Crisps and Killowen Yogurt to Baileys Original Irish Cream Liqueur and VOYA, Irish products feature prominently across our global onboard offering.” Thomas went on to thank her incredible commercial team on the ground in Dublin; citing the 60 million investment into Dublin operations and raised a glass to the hard work that cargo teams and Irish travel agents have made in seeing the airline’s success in the market.
Pierfrancesco Carino also celebrated the Irish travel agents that continue to support the Dublin-Dubai route, bringing leisure and business travellers into the UAE capital and beyond. Maura Fahy took the stage as representative of the ITAA to thank the hard work that the Emirates commercial team make in ensuring that Irish travel agents are always looked after: there is always someone to pick up the phone, support travel agents’ questions and queries and ensure that customers are looked after- from take-off to landing as the Emirates continues to grow.
The evening celebrations continued well into the night on Friday, with brilliant entertainment by Spring Break that had all guests up on their feet, revelling in the excellent 2025 growth of Emirates with a great excitement for what 2026 will bring!
