UAE inflation peaks at 6.77 percent in mid-2022, but has since dropped to 3 percent. At the same time, Emirates said that salary increases in other countries will be calculated based on other indicators.
The salary increase comes in addition to a huge bonus for profit sharing. It was first announced in May, and the reason for this “generosity” was was the carrier's record profit of $2.9 billion in 2022-2023. As a reminder, Emirates is majority owned by the UAE government.
Staff members received a one-time payment of 24 weeks' salary, that is, six months. This is the first bonus Emirates employees have received since 2018.
The decision to raise wages after years of cuts is an indication of Emirates' confidence in maintaining strong travel demand despite inflationary pressures around the world.
In 2019, Emirates froze wages and even suspended its indexation based on seniority after reporting disappointing financial results for 2018-2019.