Eid Al Adha, Haj travel: Dubai's Emirates to ramp up flights to Makkah, Jeddah, other destinations

Kingdom's Ministry of Haj and Umrah anticipates 2.6 million pilgrims, reaching pre-pandemic numbers and the additional flights aim to help seamlessly carry pilgrims

By Web Desk

Published: Wed 21 Jun 2023, 2:43 PM

With the beginning of the Haj season and upcoming Eid Al Adha holidays, Dubai-based Emirates airline is ramping up its operations by adding flights to key regional destinations to meet significant travel demand.

As Saudi Arabia lifts all Haj travel restrictions for the first time in three years, Emirates has deployed additional flights for pilgrims to embark on their journey to and from Makkah. Ten flights have been added to and from Jeddah. All flights will be operated on Boeing 777 aircraft dedicated for Haj pilgrims until July 7.

The Haj flights to Jeddah will run in parallel to Emirates’ existing schedule to the Kingdom and are open to travellers holding a valid Haj visa and, if above the age of 12, have been vaccinated against Covid-19. Medinah will also be served with daily flights during this time.

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This year, the Saudi’s Ministry of Haj and Umrah anticipates 2.6 million pilgrims, reaching pre-pandemic numbers and the additional flights aim to help seamlessly carry pilgrims. Emirates has already seen strong bookings for Haj travel from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand, Senegal, the Ivory Coast, Mauritius and South Africa.

Increased flights for Eid Al Adha

Gearing up for a busy travel period for Eid Al Adha, Emirates has deployed an additional 34 flights to popular destinations across the region. With an estimated 78,000 people from across the region expected to travel with Emirates during the Eid Al Adha six-day break, the additional flights will facilitate passengers travelling home to celebrate with their family and friends.

For passengers travelling to the Levant, Emirates has added ten flights to Amman from 21 to 30 June, and ten additional flights to Beirut from 20 to 29 June. Within the GCC, the airline has added five flights to Dammam from 21 to 25 June and nine flights to Kuwait from 22 June to 2 July.

Emirates has recorded a 20% increase in demand in comparison to 2022 with a large percentage of its customers heading to India, Pakistan, Thailand, Philippines, the UK, France and the US, as well as across the region to Lebanon, Jordan and Dubai.

Offering a pilgrim-centric experience

To help create a smooth and peaceful travel experience, Emirates has established a dedicated team to support pilgrims on their once-in-a-lifetime Haj experience. On the ground in Dubai, an airport team will manage check-in, and Haj passengers transiting through Dubai will be escorted from their arrival gate to departure gate, with all arrival formalities processed by a dedicated Haj team.

On board, Emirates provides a pilgrim-centric experience that upholds the values and traditions of the travellers’ faith. Extra provisions have been made to accommodate those performing ablutions and cleansing rituals, while unperfumed towels and additional blankets will be provided. Special PAs will advise passengers when they have entered Al Miqat zones (state of sanctity) and indicate the changing of Ihram robes. Emirates’ award-winning ice system will feature a Haj video that covers safety, general formalities and information about performing the Haj pilgrimage and the Holy Quran channel will offer additional religious content for travellers to reflect before arriving in Jeddah. Passengers may also check-in up to 5 litres of holy water (Zamzam), which will be placed in special areas in the cargo hold.

Celebrating the spirit of Eid Al Adha

The special celebration of Eid Al Adha will see passengers enjoy the traditional treats of Eid from June 28 to 30. On select outbound flights from Dubai and all flights across the Gulf and Levant, classic Eid dishes to all passengers, including regional favourites such as chicken moughalghal, beef sajiyeh, prawn morbian and lamb madfoon in First and Business Class, chicken zurbian and lamb chermoula in Premium Economy, and kebab khashkhash, prawn sayadieh, lamb tagine, Daoud basha and chicken hamsa in Economy.

Desserts will feature a tempting selection of Eid favourites including a honey and white chocolate cake in First Class, pistachio and chocolate namoura cake in Business Class, rehash and white chocolate mousse cake in Premium Economy and coffee cake with Arabica sauce in Economy. All passengers will also receive a bespoke giftbox Eid treat from Emirates, from a chocolate choux and a tahini financier, topped with hazelnut cream to pistachio muhallabia tart or traditional ashta sfouf.

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