Emirates passengers consumed more than 64 million pieces of chocolate in the past year, up 4 million on the previous year, according to figures released by the airline to mark World Chocolate Day.
Alongside that, the airline’s culinary team handcrafted approximately 26 million chocolate desserts across all four cabin classes.
The scale behind those numbers is considerable. Emirates loads roughly 750,000 kg of chocolate giveaways from premium suppliers onto its aircraft each year, while a separate 260,000 kg of chocolate ingredients goes into onboard desserts. A team of 250 pastry and bakery chefs develops more than 120 distinct chocolate desserts annually, with the menu rotating to reflect seasonal produce and destination-specific preferences.
Cocoa is sourced from growing regions across South America and Africa, with suppliers assessed on quality and sustainable production. Rather than a fixed global menu, the culinary team calibrates flavours by route. Mediterranean services lean toward berries and stone fruits. Asian routes incorporate yuzu, matcha, and tropical fruit. Across the Middle East, pistachio remains the most popular pairing.
“Our chocolate desserts are never created in isolation. We look at the destinations they’re travelling to; the flavours customers enjoy in different parts of the world and the premium chocolate that best complements those ingredients. That philosophy allows us to create chocolate experiences that feel both familiar and globally inspired,” Doxis Bekris, Vice President Culinary Design at Emirates said in a statement.
Each cabin class receives its own programme. Economy passengers are served a Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake with chocolate sauce and caramel curls. Premium Economy gets a Chocolate and Pistachio Mousse Cake with apricot curd. Business Class features a Chocolate Entremet with cocoa glaze, dark chocolate soil, and gold raspberry, paired with selections from UAE chocolatier Coco Jalila. In First Class, a Chocolate Cake with sponge, dulcey soil, and chocolate hazelnut sauce is accompanied by a luxury selection that rotates every four months — current brands include Valrhona from France and Canonica and Neuhaus from Belgium.
The chocolate offer extends into Emirates’ airport lounges, where First and Business Class travellers can choose from desserts including a Chocolate Cake with Banana and Yuzu featuring Valrhona’s Hukaмbi 53% dark milk chocolate, alongside pieces from partners including La Rose Noir, Compartés, and French Bakery.
The airline says it is seeing approximately 5% year-on-year growth in chocolate consumption, with demand shifting toward richer dark chocolate varieties. Salted caramel, it notes, remains the single most popular flavour pairing across the dessert collection.
