Total seats up just 0.9%, but the composition has shifted dramatically. 70,535 seats to Tehran erased — the largest single-route capacity change in the dataset. Africa surges to fill the gap: Nairobi +50%, Cape Town +42%, Luanda airport migration driving NBJ +66%. The A350-900's share of EK's seat production nearly doubles from 5.6% to 10.3%.
Routes with the largest Q4 seat increases from DXB. Africa dominates — Nairobi, Cape Town, Luanda (new airport), Phuket and Tokyo lead the surge. A380 and B777-300ER doing the heavy lifting across the growth portfolio.
Teal arcs — biggest seat gains from DXB. Red arcs — biggest reductions. Africa and Asia Pacific lead the growth story. Middle East connectivity trims in several corridors while the A350-900 fleet enables new European point-to-point capacity.
Four routes absent from Q4 2026, one new destination added. The Tehran closure dominates — 203 flights and 70,535 seats removed in a single market. Helsinki is EK's sole truly new city pair in Q4 2026.
The 70,535 seats lost to Tehran represent roughly 3.7% of EK's total Q4 2025 DXB-outbound seat production. Losing an entire market of that scale — while posting only a 0.9% total seat increase — means the gains to Africa, Japan, and Southeast Asia had to more than compensate for Tehran's removal.
Share of total scheduled seats by aircraft type, Q4 2025 vs Q4 2026. The A350-900's near-doubling to 10.3% is the standout. B777-300ER remains dominant but cedes ground. A380 holds broadly stable — still the backbone of EK's high-density routes.
Emirates' Q4 2026 schedule reads as a carefully managed substitution — absorbing a major political market exit while sustaining overall seat growth through Africa and Asia Pacific.