Emirates has resumed operations in more than 90% of its pre-pandemic network and currently serves more than 120 destinations worldwide. The airline operated its last seasonal service to Zagreb in October 2019 and announced the termination of the route until further notice a year later. In addition, the carrier closed its sales office in Zagreb. Emirates initially launched daily year-round operations in the Croatian capital in the summer of 2017 with its Boeing 777. However, flights were downgraded to seasonal the following year and a route sharing agreement was reached with Flydubai , where the hybrid carrier maintained its services during the winter, while Emirates operated flights during the summer. For the next summer season, Flydubai is expected to operate daily flights to Zagreb, up from its existing four weekly services.

Emirates and Flydubai jointly handled 130,937 passengers between Dubai and Zagreb in 2019. In that year, Emirates was the fifth transfer airline operating from Zagreb Airport, behind Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, Croatia Airlines and Turkish Airlines. . It was the second largest airline in Zagreb for connecting passengers to and from Asia, as well as from Australia with 23% of the transfer market, behind Qatar Airways. The route was heavily dependent on transfer passengers from the Far East and Australasia. Most countries on the Asian continent, especially in East and Southeast Asia, remain closed for both non-essential inbound and outbound travel. On the other hand, some Australian states have now allowed their citizens and residents to travel abroad, but international arrivals remain limited to Australian citizens or their relatives only.

Zagreb – Dubai vv passenger traffic