Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, said the airline had deployed almost all of its available network and aircraft capacity by the summer, while demand remained resilient.“The demand was quite decent during summer, which is July, August,” Kazim said during a press conference ahead of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai next week.“We are quite positive in terms of the recovery… In July and August, more than 8.7 million traffic was reported in terms of how recovery was happening in general,” explained Kazim.While Emirates does not provide a month-by-month passenger breakdown, its reported 4.7 million passengers across March and April came against a sharp decline in overall DXB traffic. Dubai International Airport, Emirates’ homebase, said DXB handled 31.5 million passengers in the first half of the year, down 31.3 per cent from the same period in 2025. Emirates carried 55.6 million passengers in 2025.Kazim’s comments come as Dubai’s tourism industry prepares for this year’s ATM, which officials at the briefing described as ‘an important platform for rebuilding momentum and maintaining international connectivity amid a more challenging regional environment.’ ATM, a part of World Travel Market events, is a leading annual international travel and tourism exhibition held at DWTC.Commenting on how Emirates has been working towards post-war recovery, Kazim said, “In fact, the first month of the impact, which was month of March, we managed to recover almost 56 percent of the network in each month… And in two months of the conflict, like March and April, that reached to a little 4.7 million passengers.”Kazim has credited Dubai’s aviation infrastructure and wider tourism ecosystem for helping the airline restore operations. “Part of our recovery is coming from Dubai, in fact,” Kazim said.He said the airline’s response also drew on lessons learned during the Covid-19 pandemic, including greater flexibility for passengers affected by disruption.“And we all believe that the challenge we’re going through today is short term. Things will come back, we’ll recover, and we’ll look forward. Similar to what Dubai is about, this is part of our DNA, and things will move towards the future,” said Kazim. Growth story, customer supportKazim said Emirates had reached 98 per cent of its network capacity, meaning the airline was close to deploying its full network despite the disruption earlier in the year.“Almost were there in terms of deploying all what we have in terms of the aircraft, the network,” he said. Route launches are also ongoing in full force. Kazim said Emirates will launch flights to Helsinki on October 1. “Today, we are sitting at 114 destinations in 72 countries,” he added. Dubai’s flagship airline partners with 168 airlines today and covers 1,760 cities in terms of connectivity. The airline has 290 widebody aircraft of which 137 have Premium Economy seats.A total of 104 aircraft has been refurbished under Emirates’ $5 billion retrofit programme. In-flight WiFi service Starlink has been embedded in 49 Emirates aircraft. Kazim said the airline took delivery of more than 17 aircraft, of which are the Airbus A350 aircraft and seven 777s.“By December, we will have the Emirates A350 operating to six cities around the world.. So, that’s where Emirates… is driving the way forward,” he added.To build passenger confidence, Kazim said the airline introduced greater flexibility for affected passengers, including changes to travel dates, protections for Skywards members, and launched one of the most comprehensive travel insurance packages offered by an airline.It also accommodated disrupted passengers both at its Dubai hub and overseas, while introducing measures aimed at supporting travel to Dubai.The airline also worked with Dubai’s tourism authorities on campaigns promoting the destination. “We stand to be one player of Dubai with these [campaigns] that we are doing there, and a lot of marketing happens along the way,” Kazim said.Emirates @ ATMKazim said ATM would be a busy event for Emirates. “We will be showcasing our Premium Economy seats on the A350s that will be completely electric seats with separation and high levels of customisation,” said Kazim. Kazim said more than 30 companies are due to sign agreements with the airline, alongside a programme of B2B and B2C meetings and engagements with tour operators and travel creators.“Our investment in the product is something that we have never stopped, even under challenging circumstances, whether on board or on the ground,” he added.Dhanusha is a Chief Reporter at Gulf News in Dubai, with her finger firmly on the pulse of UAE, regional, and global aviation. She dives deep into how airlines and airports operate, expand, and embrace the latest tech.