Emirates and France

Emirates has been serving France for over three decades since the launch of Dubai – Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) flights in 1992. Today, we serve France with passenger flights to Paris, Nice and Lyon, as well as a freighter service to CDG. 

Read more about Emirates’ operations in our factsheet ‘Emirates and France(Opens a PDF in a new tab)’

In November 2019 Emirates confirmed an order for 50 Airbus A350-900 XWB aircraft worth US$16 billion. At the Dubai Airshow 2023, Emirates announced an order for 15 additional Airbus A350-900s worth US$6 billion, taking its total A350 order book to 65 units. The first A350 joined Emirates’ fleet in November 2024, and 16 A350s are set to join the fleet in 2025-26 with further deliveries continuing over the next few years.

Emirates is also the biggest customer of the Airbus A380 by a large margin, with 116 aircraft in service in 2024-25. Emirates’ A350 and A380 purchases have supported thousands of jobs at Airbus and its suppliers in France. 

In addition to being a major Airbus customer, Emirates is a significant buyer of French-made aircraft components, including Michelin tyres, Safran aircraft seats, and Thales avionics. Emirates also directly contributes over €230 million to the French economy each year through operational expenditures such as fuel uplift, over-flight charges, inflight catering, aircraft landing and handling fees, crew layover, staff salaries, advertising and sponsorship.

The UAE is France’s largest export partner in the Middle East region. Bilateral trade between France and the UAE exceeded €8.5 billion in 2024, with exports from France to the UAE reaching €6.3 billion – amounting to a €4 billion trade surplus for France. Emirates transports 52,000 tonnes of cargo annually between points in France and Dubai – carrying items such as wine, cheese, perfumes, garments, aircraft parts, medical equipment, and electronic products, among others. Dubai hosts a significant portion of the more than 600 French companies operating in the UAE, as well as the estimated 26,000 French nationals residing in the UAE.

More connectivity equals more jobs. Any future increases in connectivity would help spur French economic growth, lead to an increase in global competitiveness for businesses, facilitate exports, create more jobs and provide for incoming tourism – all in all, creating more value for France.