Emirates on Monday announced a suite of Ramadan services for customers across its global network, including complimentary iftar boxes, special onboard meals, prayer mats, religious programming on its inflight entertainment system, and traditional dishes in airport lounges during the holy month.

In a statement issued on Feb 16, the Dubai-based carrier said the initiatives are aimed at supporting fasting passengers and reflecting the spirit of togetherness and generosity associated with Ramadan, both in the air and on the ground.

Emirates said it will distribute thousands of complimentary iftar boxes at select boarding gates at iftar time, containing water, laban, a banana, and dates. Fasting customers across all cabin classes on select routes will receive specially designed Ramadan meal boxes onboard, in addition to regular hot meals. The boxes feature traditional Arabic items, including dates, mezze, sandwiches, sweet treats, and laban.

To ensure accuracy for fasting passengers, the airline said it uses a bespoke system to calculate imsak and iftar times in flight, based on the aircraft’s position and altitude. The captain will announce the official iftar time once the sun sets. Complimentary prayer mats will also be available on all flights upon request, the airline said.

On the ground, Emirates said its seven lounges at Dubai International Airport will serve a wide range of traditional Ramadan dishes, Arabic sweets, dates, and coffee throughout the holy month. Similar offerings will also be available at Emirates lounges in Cairo and Jeddah. The lounges are equipped with dedicated prayer rooms and ablution facilities, the carrier added.

Emirates’ inflight entertainment system, ice, will feature religious and Ramadan-themed programming in Arabic and Urdu, alongside popular television series and access to the Holy Qur’an. The airline said ICE currently offers more than 6,500 on-demand channels, including hundreds in the Arabic language.

The carrier also announced the launch of new Bukhoor home fragrances for Ramadan through its official store, positioning the products as seasonal gift items. In addition, passengers traveling on Umrah services to Jeddah and Medina during Ramadan will be served Ramadan meal boxes inflight and may check in for up to five liters of Zamzam water at eligible airports.

Emirates said it has provided Ramadan awareness training to cabin crew and ground staff across its network to ensure sensitivity to cultural practices and to maintain service standards during the holy month.

The airline did not outline any changes to flight schedules but said the measures were intended to enhance comfort and consistency for Muslim passengers traveling during Ramadan, a period that typically sees high traffic between the Gulf region and key destinations in the Middle East, South Asia, and North Africa.

Source: Emirates Press Release