Emirates is extending warm wishes of “Ramadan Mubarak” to its customers worldwide and marking the Holy Month with a series of thoughtful initiatives that reflect the values of compassion, generosity, and community togetherness.

Throughout Ramadan, the airline will distribute thousands of iftar boxes for fasting customers at boarding gates and onboard, offer complimentary prayer mats, feature dedicated religious and family programming on its ice inflight entertainment system, and serve traditional Ramadan dishes in its lounges.

To support customers who are fasting, Emirates will provide complimentary iftar boxes at select boarding gates during iftar time, each containing water, laban, dates, and a banana, allowing passengers to break their fast comfortably before or after boarding. Onboard, customers across all cabin classes on select routes will be offered specially curated, nutritionally balanced Ramadan meal boxes presented in bespoke packaging inspired by traditional Islamic geometric art.

These boxes include dates, light cold mezze such as hummus, moutabel or muhammara with Arabic bread, a hearty chicken mosakhan or herbed chicken sandwich, sweet items like chocolate-coated almonds and assorted baklawa, and laban, served in addition to the regular hot meal service.

To ensure that religious timings are observed accurately inflight, Emirates uses a dedicated system that calculates precise imsak and iftar times based on the aircraft’s location, altitude, and the corresponding sunrise and sunset. Once the sun has set along the flight path, the captain will make an announcement to inform fasting customers that it is time to break their fast. Passengers may also request special keepsake prayer mats, which are available on all flights.

Across the seven Emirates Lounges at Dubai International Airport (DXB), customers will be able to enjoy a wide range of traditional Ramadan refreshments including Arabic sweets, dates, and coffee.

First and Business Class lounges will feature classic regional dishes such as hot and cold Arabic mezze, lentil soup, Arabic mixed grill with tahina, lamb kabsa, chicken machboos with cucumber yoghurt, lamb ouzi with hashweh rice and dakous, followed by desserts like pistachio kunafa, katayef, saffron basbousa, cheesecake, cheese kunafa, walnut katayef, and specialty ice creams including Arabic coffee and dates or baklawa flavours.

Guests can also enjoy traditional beverages such as jallab and laban, while Emirates lounges in Cairo and Jeddah will similarly offer a selection of Ramadan-inspired dishes. All Emirates Lounges are equipped with dedicated prayer rooms and ablution facilities to provide a calm environment for worship.

During the Holy Month, Emirates’ award-winning ice entertainment system will highlight a curated selection of Islamic and Ramadan-focused content, including Arabic programmes such as “Kheir Qodwa,” “Qalb Al Mo’men,” “Wa Yatoub Allah Alaykom,” “Al Huqooq Al Sharaeya,” and “Nafhat,” as well as Urdu titles like “Ramadan Mah e Rehmat” and “Hoshyarian.”

Popular Arabic series and dramas including “Ma Taraho Laysa Kama Yabdo,” “Febrayer Al Aswad,” “Al Mtwassf,” and “Hazza” will also be available, alongside an extensive library of more than 6,500 channels of on-demand entertainment, including up to 450 Arabic movie and TV channels and around 400 Arabic music and podcast channels.

To extend the Ramadan ambiance into customers’ homes, Emirates has launched a new collection of Bukhoor fragrances through the Emirates Official Store.

The range features the bestselling Oud Rose, blending raspberry, rose, geranium, oud, patchouli, and vanilla, along with two new scents: Dreamy Nights, with sweet green citrus, balsam, jasmine, amber, cedar, and spicy vanilla, and Sacred Ember, combining saffron, lavender, bergamot, musk, tobacco, and cedar. Each 70g pot, priced at USD 52, is presented in an elegant white-and-gold design bearing Emirates’ signature Ghaf tree motif, making it an ideal Ramadan gift.

Emirates is also enhancing the travel experience for customers performing Umrah during Ramadan. Umrah groups travelling to Jeddah and Medina will be served Ramadan meal boxes inflight, while each customer is entitled to check in one bottle of Zamzam holy water of up to five litres from Dubai International Airport and various airports in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

In line with its commitment to cultural awareness and service excellence, Emirates has introduced Ramadan awareness training for cabin crew and ground staff across its network. The training provides teams with guidance on the religious and cultural significance of Ramadan and familiarises them with common practices during the Holy Month, ensuring they can better anticipate the needs of fasting customers and deliver a considerate and respectful travel experience.

Riyadh Air and Saudia have announced the implementation of the first phase of their Strategic Cooperation Agreement, marking a major step in strengthening connectivity under Saudi Arabia’s National Aviation Strategy.

The partnership builds on a Memorandum of Understanding signed in November 2023 and enables the two airlines to expand travel options for domestic and international passengers.

As part of the first phase, Riyadh Air has established a connection with Saudia’s Passenger Service System (PSS), allowing the carriers to implement their codeshare across their respective technology platforms.

Under the RX-SV codeshare, Riyadh Air will place its “RX” designator on selected Saudia-operated flights from Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport to six domestic destinations: Abha, Al Qassim, Dammam, Jeddah, Medina and Tabuk.

The agreement will give Riyadh Air passengers access to additional destinations worldwide through convenient connections in Riyadh. For example, travelers from Dammam can connect via Riyadh to Madrid on a single ticket, while passengers flying from Kuala Lumpur can connect through Riyadh to Medina.

By using Saudia’s frequent services between Riyadh and the six codeshare destinations, Riyadh Air will offer passengers more convenient connections aligned with the arrival and departure schedules of its flights at Riyadh.

Both airlines operate within the King Khalid International Airport Terminal 1-4 complex, enabling passengers to benefit from streamlined connections, single-ticket journeys and through-checked baggage to their final destinations.

The first phase represents a significant step toward deeper cooperation between Saudi Arabia’s two national carriers and supports the Kingdom’s broader ambitions to expand its global aviation network.

Source: aaco.org

SalamAir has announced the establishment of Salalah’s first-ever airline base, marking a major step in the airline’s expansion and strengthening direct international connectivity from Oman’s Dhofar Governorate.

The new Salalah-based operation will initially serve three international destinations: Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, Chattogram in Bangladesh and Calicut in India. Bookings opened on August 26, with flights scheduled to begin from the end of October as part of SalamAir’s Winter 2026 schedule.

The base follows SalamAir’s expanded operations during the 2026 Khareef season, when the airline increased capacity on the Muscat-Salalah route to as many as 15 daily flights during peak periods.

The airline also introduced special domestic fares for Omani nationals, with one-way tickets starting from OMR 9.99, supporting affordable travel between Muscat and Salalah.

The new base is expected to extend SalamAir’s role beyond the Khareef season by supporting year-round travel demand among residents and expatriate communities in Dhofar while offering more direct access to key regional and international destinations.

Operations from Salalah will be supported by SalamAir’s Airbus A320neo and A321neo fleet. The airline currently operates 18 aircraft, providing additional flexibility to support growing demand across its network.

During the winter season, SalamAir will also operate charter flights linking Salalah with Astana and Almaty in Kazakhstan, supporting inbound tourism from Central Asia.

The Salalah base forms part of SalamAir’s wider strategy to expand its network from key airports across Oman, develop underserved markets and stimulate new travel demand while supporting the growth of the Sultanate’s aviation and tourism sectors.

Source: ZAWYA