DUBAI - Dubai's Emirates airline on Friday posted a loss of 3.9 billion dirhams ($1.06 billion) for the year ended March 31, sharply lower than its loss of 20.3 billion dirhams a year earlier as easing pandemic-related curbs boosted travel demand.

Emirates said it increased destinations from 120 at the start of the financial year to over 140 destinations by the end and continued to reinstate services across its network.

"This year, we focussed on restoring our operations quickly and safely wherever pandemic-related restrictions eased across our markets," said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline and the group.

($1 = 3.6726 UAE dirham)

(Reporting by Saeed Azhar; editing by Jason Neely)