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Emirates airline will continue to recruit more people as it expands its fleet, its chief said on Tuesday.

“Staff number will always be increased based on the number of aircraft that we receive. You need cabin crew, pilot, engineer and all the support services. Today, we have about 124,000 employees within the Emirates Group,” Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline, said during a media interaction on the second day of Dubai Airshow 2025.

The Dubai-based company has placed orders for hundreds of aircraft, which will be delivered over the coming years. On Monday, Dubai's flagship carrier announced an order for 65 additional Boeing 777-9 aircraft on the first day of Dubai Airshow 2025, valued at Priced at $38 billion (nearly Dh139.5 billion).

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This took the total orderbook with Boeing to 315 widebody aircraft, comprising 270 Boeing 777Xs, 10 Boeing 777 freighters, and 35 Boeing 787s; and its orderbook with GE Aerospace for GE9X engines to a total of 540 units, including the 130 additional units signed today.

Emirates Group hired over 3,700 employees during the first six months of the 2025-26 financial year, as Emirates airline and ground handling services firm dnata continue hiring amid expansion plans.

“Both Emirates and dnata have ongoing recruitment drives to support their future requirements,” the Group said in its first-half 2025-26 results.

“Emirates and dnata have invested billions to continually enhance our products and services, to bring new products to market, to improve our operations through innovation and technology, and to look after our employees who ensure our customers' safety and satisfaction. These are core to our DNA,” said Sheikh Ahmed in the first-half report.

The Group said the number of employees grew by 3 per cent to 124,927 by September 30, 2025, up from 121,223 at the end of March 31, 2025, an increase of 3,704.

In July 2025, Dubai's Emirates Group announced it will recruit 17,30 people in the current financial year, equivalent to the population of a mid-sized town, across various entities, including Emirates Airline and dnata.

The group stated that hundreds of workers are required across various roles, including cabin crew, pilots, engineers, commercial and sales teams, customer service, ground handling, catering, IT, HR, and finance.

Earlier this year, Emirates Flight Catering – a subsidiary of Emirates – announced a new Dh160 million laundry arm, Linencraft, at Dubai Investment Park, which will create 400 direct jobs.

Emirates and Safran Seats, a world-leading aircraft seating manufacturer, also announced an agreement on Tuesday to establish a manufacturing and seat assembly facility in Dubai, creating highly-skilled jobs in the emirate.

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