The Emirates Group released its 2021-22 Annual Report on May 13, which posted a loss of AED 3.8 billion (US$ 1.0 billion) for its financial year ending March 31, 2022, compared with an AED 22.1 billion (US$ 6.0 billion) loss for last year. The Group’s revenue was AED 66.2 billion (US$ 18.1 billion), an increase of 86% over last year’s results. The Group’s cash balance was AED 25.8 billion (US$ 7.0 billion), up 30% from last year mainly due to strong demand across its core business divisions and markets, triggered by the easing of pandemic-related restrictions.
His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, said: “This year, we focussed on restoring our operations quickly and safely wherever pandemic-related restrictions eased across our markets. Business recovery picked up pace particularly in the second half of the year. Robust customer demand drove a huge improvement in our financial performance compared to our unprecedented losses of last year and we built up our strong cash balance.
“The health and safety of our people and customers remained a key priority as the world navigated its second full year of the pandemic. Across Emirates and dnata, we responded to dynamic market conditions with agility, and introduced innovative products and services to meet our customers’ needs and provide them with the best possible experience.
“2021-22 was also a significant year as the UAE marked its 50th anniversary and hosted the world at Expo 2020 Dubai which generated increased global engagement and visitation to the UAE. The Emirates Group was proud to play our part in contributing to the Expo’s success and to the UAE’s jubilee events.”
In 2021-22, Emirates received a further capital injection of AED 3.5 billion (US$ 954 million) from its ultimate shareholder, the Government of Dubai, and the Group tapped on various industry support programmes and availed a total relief of nearly AED 0.8 billion in 2021-22.
As Emirates and dnata ramped up operations, employees previously on furlough or made redundant were recalled and rehired, and new recruitment drives were held to replenish the Group’s talent pool and boost its future capabilities. As a result, the Group’s total workforce increased by 13% to 85,219 employees, representing over 160 different nationalities.
In 2021-22, the Group collectively invested AED 7.9 billion (US$ 2.2 billion) in new aircraft and facilities. It also continued to progress its environmental strategy focussed on reducing carbon emissions, consuming resources responsibly, and conserving wildlife and habitats.
Sheikh Ahmed said: “For the Emirates Group, 2021-22 was largely about recovery, after the toughest year in our Group’s history. It’s not just about restoring our capacity, but also augmenting our future capabilities as we rebuild. Our aim is to build back better and stronger, so that we can deliver even better experiences to our customers and offer more support to the communities we serve.
“We expect the Group to return to profitability in 2022-23, and are working hard to hit our targets, while keeping a close watch on headwinds such as high fuel prices, inflation, new COVID-19 variants, and political and economic uncertainty.”
Emirates’ total passenger and cargo capacity increased by 47% to 36.4 billion ATKMs in 2021-22, as the airline continued to reinstate passenger services across its network in line with the lifting of pandemic-related flight and travel restrictions.
To serve the strong rebound in travel demand, Emirates deployed its flagship A380 aircraft to even more cities during the year, bringing its A380 network to 29 destinations as of 31 March 2022.
Emirates received its final five new A380 aircraft during the financial year, all equipped with its latest cabin interiors including Premium Economy seats. It also phased out two older aircraft comprising of one Boeing 777-300ER and one Freighter, leaving its total fleet count at 262 at the end of March. Emirates’ average fleet age remains at a youthful 8.2 years.
Emirates’ order book of 197 aircraft remains unchanged at this time. The airline states that it is firmly committed to its long-standing strategy of operating a modern and efficient fleet.
With significantly enhanced capacity deployment across most markets, Emirates’ total revenue for the financial year increased 91% to AED 59.2 billion (US$ 16.1 billion). Currency fluctuations this year impacted the airline’s profitability negatively by AED 348 million (US$ 95 million).
Total operating costs increased by 30% from last financial year. Cost of ownership (depreciation and amortisation) and fuel cost were the two biggest cost components for the airline in 2021-22, followed by employee cost. Fuel accounted for 23% of operating costs compared to 14% in 2020-21. The airline’s fuel bill more than doubled to AED 13.9 billion (US$ 3.8 billion) compared to the previous year, driven by a higher uplift of 66% in line with capacity expansion and a higher average fuel price which was up by 75%.
With the removal of pandemic-related flight and travel restrictions globally, the airline managed to substantially improve its financial results and reported a loss of AED 3.9 billion (US$ 1.1 billion) after last year’s AED 20.3 billion (US$ 5.5 billion) loss, and a loss margin of 6.6%, significantly improved compared to 65.6% last year.
Emirates carried 19.6 million passengers (up by 199%) in 2021-22, with seat capacity up by 150%. The airline reports a Passenger Seat Factor of 58.6%, compared with last year’s passenger seat factor of 44.3%; and a 10% decline in passenger yield to 35.1 fils (9.6 US cents) per Revenue Passenger Kilometre (RPKM), due to the change in route mix, fares and currency.
Emirates announced a major retrofit programme to equip 120 of its 777 and A380 aircraft with its new Premium Economy seats and the latest cabin interiors.
In this second pandemic year, Emirates SkyCargo contributed to 40% of the airline’s total transport revenue. Rebuilding its network and capacity, the cargo division intelligently deployed its freighter fleet and belly-hold capacity, to meet customer needs. By 30 June 2021, it had restored services to over 90% of its pre-pandemic network.
At the Dubai Airshow 2021, Emirates announced a US$ 1 billion investment to acquire two new Boeing 777 freighters and convert four existing 777-300ER aircraft into freighters.
With steady and strong air freight demand throughout the year, Emirates’ cargo division reported a new record revenue of AED 21.7 billion (US$ 5.9 billion), an increase of 27% over last year.
Freight yield per Freight Tonne Kilometre (FTKM) decreased by 3% as more cargo capacity returned to the global market, but generally remained at high levels compared to the pandemic marketplace due to steady and strong demand.
Tonnage carried increased by 14% to reach 2.1 million tonnes, due to the growth in available bellyhold capacity for the entire year with the reinstatement of more passenger services. At the end of 2021-22, Emirates’ SkyCargo’s total freighter fleet stood at 10 Boeing 777Fs.