DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The Middle East’s biggest airline, Emirates, says it earned $514 million in the first six months of its fiscal year as it grew its fleet and more passengers and fuller planes pushed its sales higher.

The fast-growing Dubai-based carrier said on Wednesday that its earnings for the April to September period were 8 per cent higher than the $475 million it made during the same period last year.

Revenue for the period jumped 11 per cent to $12 billion as the airline grew its fleet to 230 mostly wide-body planes, up from 217 a year earlier.

Earnings for the Emirates Group parent company, which includes the Dnata ground-handling business, rose 1.1 per cent to $607 million.

Emirates is owned by the government of Dubai, which is home to the region’s busiest airport.