Emirates Ramadan services aboard and ground

Fasting travelers will be able to take advantage of Emirates’ hallmark Ramadan offerings both aboard and on the ground.

Iftar meals will be provided in customised boxes developed by the airline’s in-house designers in partnership with local artists at Mawaheb Art Studio starting on April 2nd for passengers breaking their fast across all cabin classes flying to chosen Emirates destinations. Salads and sandwiches made from freshly produced grains are served with a choice of proteins, seedless dates, laban (a kind of sweetened water), and small Arabic bread, among other iftar staples.

In addition, throughout the month of Ramadan, the boxes will be supplied on flights to and from chosen locations during times that correspond with iftar or sohour, on flights into and out of the Gulf area, and on aircraft catering to Umrah groups traveling to Jeddah and Medina. On top of that, cold lunches will be provided in place of hot meals on all flights to Jeddah and Medina, including Umrah day flights, beginning in September.

Moreover, the boxes have been intended to be easily removed from the premises if the buyer so desires. As an addition to Emirates’ usual hot meal service, which will feature a customary soup choice for First Class customers on certain flights to break their fast, the airline will provide an iftar box as a compliment to the meal. Customers will have a best-in-class eating experience throughout the Holy Month since the box contents will be changed on a weekly basis.

While in flight, Emirates employs a proprietary tool to calculate the correct times for imsak (the time to begin fasting) and iftar for fasting Muslim passengers, based on the times of sunrise and sunset of the location the flight will pass through, as determined by the longitude, latitude, and altitude of the aircraft. This tool is used to ensure the highest levels of accuracy for fasting Muslim passengers. Passengers will be formally notified of the iftar hour by the captain when the sun has set for the day.

Trays of dates and water will be available at gates for a variety of destinations for customers on the ground boarding during the iftar and sohour times. During Ramadan, dates and coffee, as well as scrumptious Arabic-style pastries, will be served in the Emirates lounges at DXB International Airport. Emirates lounges are also furnished with specialized prayer rooms and ablution facilities to provide a tranquil setting for worshippers to practice their religion.

The airline has also refined its Ramadan programming, which now includes unique religious material in a dedicated folder in the company’s TV area that is kept frozen. There are a variety of programs to pick from, including Fa E’lam Ena la Elah Ela Allah, Meythaq Al Hayat, Deen Al Tasamoh, Manaber Al Noor, and Abwab Al Mutafareqa, among others. A frozen version of the Holy Qur’an is also accessible. Besides the special Ramadan programming, there is a wide range of other content available on board, including more than 5,000 channels of on-demand entertainment, including 595 Arabic channels that broadcast movies and television shows, podcasts, music, iconic Ramadan soap operas and dramas, and other content.

Emirates also conducts awareness training for Ramadan to its cabin crew and on-ground staff in Dubai and across the rest of the company’s network.