Emirates Airline mad this announcement:

Emirates is marking the UAE’s 50th anniversary with the unveiling of special liveries to commemorate the nation’s Golden Jubilee.

Emirates made this announcement:

With the recent announcements of the UAE easing entry protocols for 12 countries*, and the UK adding the UAE on its ‘amber list’, Emirates is actively responding to the spike in travel demand across its network to make it easier for customers to connect to Dubai and beyond through the scaling up of its operations.

In line with the easing of restrictions, the airline will be restoring capacity across 29 cities on its network on over 270 flights as well as fine-tuning its schedules to boost frequencies and capacity as demand proliferates for international leisure and business travel.

Expansion of services to/from the UK

By October, the airline will increase its services to 73 weekly flights to the UK, including a six times a day London Heathrow operation; double daily A380 flights to Manchester, ten weekly services to Birmingham and daily services to Glasgow.

From today, Emirates will begin serving London Heathrow with three daily flights, all operated by its flagship A380. Throughout August and September, Emirates will gradually increase its operations to London Heathrow, and by the middle of October, the airline will have restored its operations to six daily flights, of which four will be served by the A380. The multiple daily flights served by the airline’s flagship A380 will provide significant connection opportunities to one of the highest demand leisure and business markets in the world.

For Emirates customers wishing to travel to the UK, the airline has optimized schedules to create the best connection options from its network, particularly across major cities in Africa like Johannesburg, Cape Town and Lusaka, and in West Asia including Karachi, Islamabad, among other cities.

Boosting US operations and restoration of services across Africa

Emirates currently flies to 12 cities in the United States on over 70 weekly flights, and will be adding additional frequencies to Houston, Boston and San Francisco over the course of August to accommodate for the seasonal influx of travelers.

The airline will also be boosting capacity on its four weekly services to New York JFK to its flagship A380 from 13 August, improving travel options for customers connecting to/from the major US city from across the airline’s network. Emirates will continue to make schedule and capacity adjustments to match its services with customer travel trends.

Emirates has increased flights to Johannesburg from daily to 11 weekly flights, with the addition of four linked flights with Durban, and the airline also flies to and from Cape Town with three weekly services. Customers flying in and out of Emirates’ three South African gateways can safely connect to an array of onwards connections to Europe, Middle East, West Asia and the United States.

Flights to/ from South Africa have also been scheduled to allow for convenient connections and additional access to Emirates’ four gateways in the UK, as well as Emirates’ extensive US network.

The airline has also reinstated capacity on its flights to and from Lusaka (linked with Harare) and Entebbe with five weekly flights each.

As international borders reopen and travel restrictions ease, Emirates continues to expand its network safely and sustainably, matching capacity with demand in line with market dynamics and operating conditions. The airline has resumed passenger services to over 120 destinations, recovering close to 90% of its pre-pandemic network.

Emirates, one of the first global airlines to pilot the IATA Travel Pass in April, now offers the IATA Travel Pass solution to customers flying to 10 cities and plans to extend it to all routes across its network in the coming weeks. In addition, Emirates has also partnered with Alhosn, the official UAE app for COVID-19 related contact tracing and health documentation, to offer its customers greater convenience and smoother journeys.

“Over the past months, we have really accelerated our biometric, contactless, and digital travel verification projects to provide our customers with even greater convenience and assurance when they fly with Emirates. From our biometrics path at Dubai International (DXB) to initiatives like the IATA Travel Pass and integrations with the health authority databases, these projects deliver multiple benefits from better customer experiences to the reduced use of paper, and improved efficiency and reliability in travel document checks. We are grateful for the support from the authorities and our industry partners in the successful deployment of these projects which strengthen Emirates and Dubai’s world-leading aviation capabilities,” said Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer.

Emirates customers flying between Dubai and the following cities: London, Barcelona, Madrid, Istanbul, New York JFK, Moscow, Frankfurt, Charles De Gaulle, and Amsterdam; can now use IATA Travel Pass to access the latest COVID-19 related travel information including the location of PCR test labs, and manage their COVID-19 travel documentation such as vaccination and latest PCR test results. Passengers on these flights will receive an SMS and email with the activation code and instructions on downloading the IATA Travel Pass app.

The airline is progressing on plans to roll-out the IATA Travel Pass solution across its global network.

Since trials began, Emirates has worked closely with IATA and its partners to enhance the IATA Travel Pass experience based on customer feedback. The IATA Travel Pass app is now available to both iOS and Android users, and can also be used by customers with non-biometric passports.

From July, Emirates will integrate the Alhosn app with its check-in systems, expanding on its existing integration with the Dubai Health Authority (DHA). This enables customers traveling from the UAE to benefit from the quick and convenient digital retrieval and verification of COVID-19 medical records, regardless of where in the UAE they had completed their vaccination, or COVID-19 PCR and antigen tests. Customers who opt to allow access their COVID-19 related health information via the Alhosn app for travel purposes can rest assured that once check-in formalities are completed, information related to their COVID-19 medical records will be immediately discarded from the Emirates systems.

Emirates is expecting more than 450,000 passengers to travel from, to and through Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport over the course of the next two weekends on over 1,600 flights. The busiest days for the airline will be the next two weekends, 2-3 July and 9-10 July, although high passenger traffic is expected to start today, and will run through 12 July.

In addition, close to 100,000 passengers will be arriving into Dubai on Emirates flights to start their summer holidays during that same period.

All Emirates and DXB touchpoints are fully prepared to manage the increase in passenger traffic, with measures and protocols in place designed to enhance safety as customers move through Terminal 3. Along with industry-leading contactless technologies and biometric journeys, Emirates customers can travel with assurance that the airline and its partners have spared no effort to make the airport journey as safe and smooth as possible.

This includes robust and consistent cleaning protocols for high traffic areas such as seats and handrails; modern cleaning technologies for surfaces in Emirates’ dedicated lounges keeping them germ free for longer; social distancing measures through floor markings, signage and airport employees safely managing the flow of passengers; hand sanitising stations as well as Plexiglas partitions at Emirates check-in desks and in Emirates Lounges, amongst numerous other measures.

Customers are strongly urged to arrive at the airport at least three hours before their flight departure to avoid delays. Passengers are encouraged to build in extra time for their journey with expected heavy road traffic coming into Terminal 3.

Customers are also reminded to review the latest travel requirements to their booked destination, including whether forms, vaccination certificates or negative PCR tests are required on the Emirates Travel Hub, which has the latest information for every country on the airline’s route network.

Customers can physically check-in and drop off their luggage at any Emirates counter 24 hours before departure.* All passengers physically checking in at the airport are requested to check in no later than 3 hours prior to departure. Customers who present themselves less than 60 minutes prior to their scheduled flight departure will not be accepted for travel. They can also check in online 48 hours to 90 minutes before flight departure. Those who opt to check-in online are reminded to visit the Emirates check-in counters or contactless kiosks to complete the required travel documentation checks and formalities.

Customers are also advised to make sure they get to their boarding gate on time. Gates open 90 minutes before departure, boarding starts 45 minutes before each flight and gates close 20 minutes before departure. If passengers report late Emirates will not be able to accept them for travel. Check-in and gate closure timings are strictly followed for on-time departures.

A touchless, paperless experience for smoother journeys

Emirates customers can look forward to an easier and hassle-free airport experience with contactless check-in, its biometric path and enhanced digital verification of Covid-19 medical information. The airline has sharpened its focus on technologies and services that optimise passenger processing to minimise queues, for a fast-tracked experience that prioritises safety and efficiency.

Significantly reducing wait times, Emirates’ contactless kiosks are completely controlled by personal mobile devices without the need to touch the screens; providing another way passengers can enjoy a safe and efficient pre-boarding experience. Along with check-in, customers can choose seats on board, drop off their bags, and even pay for ancillary products like extra baggage.**

Customers can also utilise Emirates’ biometric path for a contactless journey via 18 check-in desks and 7 biometric boarding gates, with virtually no document checks and less queuing.

Emirates is also leading the way in providing more ways for its customers to fulfil their pre-departure health requirements through digital verification. Customers flying between Dubai and London, Barcelona, Madrid, Istanbul, New York JFK, Moscow, Frankfurt, Charles De Gaulle, and Amsterdam can also now use the IATA Travel Pass to manage their COVID-19 travel documentation, including vaccination and latest PCR test results. The airline is progressing on plans to roll-out the IATA Travel Pass solution across its global network this summer.

In July, Emirates will also connect the Alhosn app with its check-in systems, in addition to its existing integration with the Dubai Health Authority (DHA). Customers will have the advantage of digital retrieval and verification of COVID-19 medical records for a paperless experience regardless of where in the UAE they had completed their vaccination, or COVID-19 PCR and antigen tests.

Emirates will also be reopening its dedicated First Class Lounge in Concourse B for its customers on 1 July to cater to the surge in passenger demand, particularly in the premium classes. With a seating capacity for 540 customers and more space between seating and dining areas, the First Class Lounge will offer a luxurious retreat before departure.

*Except for flights to the USA

**The contactless kiosk service is available to all destinations except to the US, Canada, China, India and Hong Kong due to additional requirements from these destinations.