Emirates marks 30 years in Australia with 70 weekly flights

Emirates is marking 30 years of operations in Australia, having launched its first service to Melbourne in June 1996. The airline subsequently expanded to Sydney in 2000, Perth in 2002, Brisbane in 2003 and Adelaide in 2012.

Emirates now operates 70 weekly services across the five Australian gateways, connecting the country to nearly 140 destinations worldwide through its Dubai hub.

“Melbourne is where our Australian story began, and it remains central to everything we do in this market. Our commitment here has never been limited to the flights we operate. We have invested in Australian sport, culture and communities, strengthened trade links and created thousands of jobs across the country. These investments underline the long-term view we have always taken of this market. As we mark this milestone, our focus is firmly on what comes next. We will continue to bring our latest aircraft, our best products and our extensive global network to Australian travellers, as we have done since our first flight in 1996,” said Barry Brown, Divisional Vice President Australasia at Emirates.

Emirates expands its Australian network and onboard products

Over the past three decades, Emirates has expanded its operations in Australia, introduced new products across its gateways and strengthened its involvement in Australian sports and the arts.

The airline began flying to Melbourne with three weekly services in 1996 and gradually increased frequencies and capacity as demand grew. By 2017, Emirates was operating three daily flights to Melbourne. From March 2018, all three services were scheduled to use Airbus A380 aircraft, enabling connections through Dubai to destinations across the UK and Europe.

The expansion provided Melbourne travellers with one-stop connections via Dubai to destinations across Europe, Africa, the Americas and the Middle East. It also strengthened links for tourism, trade and visits to friends and relatives.

The Airbus A380 became a key part of Emirates’ Melbourne operations as the airline increased capacity on the route. From March 2018, all three daily services to Melbourne were scheduled to use the aircraft. Following the restoration of services after the pandemic, Emirates introduced a second daily A380 service in May 2022, offering more than 1,000 seats a day between Dubai and Melbourne.

In 2013, Emirates and Qantas established a commercial partnership that extended beyond a conventional codeshare to include integrated networks, scheduling, pricing and reciprocal frequent flyer benefits. The agreement gave Australian travellers single-ticket access to more than 65 international destinations, while Qantas connections extended Emirates’ reach across domestic Australia and the Tasman. The partnership has carried more than 17 million passengers and remains a significant commercial alliance in the aviation industry, Emirates said in a statement.

Australia has been among the first markets to receive Emirates’ latest aircraft and onboard products, reflecting the importance of the country to the airline’s network. In December 2025, Adelaide became the first city in Emirates’ global network to receive the ultra-long-range Airbus A350. Earlier that year, Melbourne became the first Australian city to welcome the airline’s First Class Game Changer suites, introduced on a retrofitted Boeing 777.

Emirates currently operates 56 of its 70 weekly Australia–Dubai services with its latest-generation products and refreshed cabins. These services offer more than 5,000 Premium Economy seats per week across the five Australian gateways. The airline’s cabin retrofit programme, described as the largest in aviation history, is upgrading 219 aircraft with new interiors.

Emirates strengthens its investment in Australia

Emirates’ investment in Australia extends beyond its flight operations. The airline has invested more than AU$230 million in Australian sport, culture and community initiatives, including long-standing partnerships with the Australian Open, Collingwood Football Club and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. It was also a long-term partner of the Victoria Racing Club for nearly three decades.

Since 2006, Emirates has invested AU$150 million in the Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort, developing the property while preserving its environmental and cultural heritage. This has included restoring historically significant landmarks and planting more than one million native trees across the site. In 2026, Emirates committed a further AU$50 million in partnership with Marriott International to transform the property into Emirates Wolgan Valley, a Ritz-Carlton Lodge. The property is expected to become the world’s first Ritz-Carlton Lodge when it opens in early 2027.

The Emirates Group employs more than 8,000 Australians, including through dnata, which is Australia’s largest inflight caterer. dnata operates 15 facilities and employs more than 3,000 staff, producing over 64 million meals annually. Emirates’ operational spending in Australia reached AU$1.1 billion in the 2024–25 financial year, reflecting the group’s contribution to the local economy.

Emirates supports trade and tourism links

Australia remains a key market in Emirates’ global network. In the 2024–25 financial year, the airline carried 2.6 million passengers on Australian routes and transported 79,000 tonnes of high-value cargo, with freight volumes increasing 12% year-on-year.

The UAE is Australia’s largest trade and investment partner in the Middle East, with bilateral trade valued at AU$12.7 billion. The UAE–Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) has added momentum to trade in goods and services, as well as investment. Emirates SkyCargo operates three weekly freighter services to Sydney, connecting Australian producers with markets across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and beyond. Dubai’s location also allows the cargo carrier to reach two-thirds of the world’s population within eight hours.

Emirates also contributes to inbound tourism in Australia by connecting travellers from 74 destinations across Europe, Africa and the Middle East to the country’s five international gateways: Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. The airline has worked with state tourism bodies and government partners to restore capacity, promote destinations and support visitor growth.

To mark the anniversary, travellers departing from all five Australian gateways will be offered a special selection of dishes and beverages on board and at Emirates’ airport lounges across the country.