Dubai-based Emirates airline is looking to boost its ancillary revenues and is taking a serious look at introducing a premium economy class on its planes as it battles falling yields, its president said on Thursday.

The carrier is considering introducing charges for seat selection and additional baggage charges, Tim Clark told an airlines conference in London.

"We cannot sit back and wait for things to get better," he said.

Emirates posted record profits for the 2015/16 financial year, with earnings up by 56 percent to $1.6 billion.

The world’s largest international carrier saw its passenger numbers rise by 8 percent to 51.9 million over the same period, while capacity increased by 11 percent.

The airline said that fuel had been its biggest expense over the past year, at $5.4 billion and 26 percent of operating costs, while the strong US dollar had eroded its revenues by $1.6 billion, and its profits by $1.1 billion.