Australia was identified by Emirates as their most popular overseas destination from Ireland.

Emirates now serves 144 cities globally and is the only airline offering direct flights from Ireland to Dubai.

Between April and September 2023, the airline transported 26.1 million passengers worldwide, a 31% increase over the same period the previous year.

The airline reported that a significant trend for the Dublin-Dubai route this year was a 31% rise in business and first-class reservations compared to 2022.

Almost 5,000 tonnes of cargo were transported by the airline from Dublin to Dubai during the year, as well as other locations including Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, and Saudi Arabia. These are major markets for Irish food exports, which include crabs, oysters, and salmon.

Contact lenses and medical equipment make up a sizable portion of the cargo transported on the aircraft, along with pharmaceuticals.

According to Emirates, among the top ten items of freight shipped from Ireland to foreign markets are aeroplane parts, including aircraft seats.

Anita Thomas, the country manager of Emirates in Ireland, stated that the year 2023 is looking to be one of the most prosperous in the airline's history, with robust demand and even better performance than before the pandemic.

“After the dark days of the epidemic, there has never been a bigger desire for foreign travel. Australia is without a doubt the biggest destination on the trip, but Dubai is proving to be a really popular vacation spot for the bulk of our clients going from Ireland,” she continued.

Emirates said that Dubai, Sydney, Bangkok, Melbourne, and Perth were its top five travel destinations for 2023.

Considering 2024 as a future date, according to Anita Thomas, the airline is witnessing a surge in reservations to Vietnam, and bookings for Bangkok in 2024 are already busy, even if Dubai and Australia are predicted to remain the top destinations for travellers from Ireland.