This is an excerpt from an EK "Myths and Facts" document, which is freely available online.
"Myths about Emirates access to free or discounted oil are often repeated, but in reality don’t stand up to scrutiny.
Airline Business recently carried an article that covered the issue of oil for Saudi Arabian Airlines. It said, “The problem for the government is that travellers in this oil-rich nation enjoy the benefits of cheap fuel, whether in the guise of subsidised air tickets or subsidised fuel for their cars. Saudi Arabian itself enjoys subsidised fuel prices too...
In May the local, privately owned low-cost players Sama and NAS Air were given the fuel subsidy...”
Given Saudi Arabia is a neighbour of the UAE, is it therefore reasonable to ask if we receive similar government support? The answer is no. Emirates procures its fuel at market rates from multiple suppliers at all airports to which it operates, including, of course, Dubai International Airport (DXB).
Fuel is sourced from all five suppliers that serve Dubai International Airport: BP, Shell, Chevron, ENOC and Emojet – a joint venture between Emarat and Exxonmobil. Outside of Dubai, Emirates’ main fuel suppliers are also Exxonmobil, BP, Shell and Chevron.
But don’t just take our word for it. Emirates recently wrote to Shell, BP and Chevron asking them to verify our credentials as fully commercial clients with contracts on par with their other airline clients around the world.
Chevron - “...happy to confirm that our present contract and all our previous contracts covering jet fuel supply to Emirates Airline at Dubai have all been negotiated and agreed with the same considerations as for those jet fuel contracts with our other airline customers...with no free fuel and with no economic subsidy.”
BP- “...have been a supplier of jet fuel to Emirates at Dubai since 1985 through a commercial fuel supply contract which is competitively tendered periodically”.
Shell - “Our contract with Emirates Airline is the result of a fair negotiation process in line with the negotiations that we have with other major customers...and the items invoiced are similar in type to those charged to our other customers...”
It is sometimes suggested Emirates receives very cheap or subsidised fuel at Dubai International Airport. This is wholly incorrect. The following chart shows fuel prices paid by Emirates at major airports around the world relative to the price we pay in Dubai, along with analysis of comparitive fuel costs.