Tourexpi
Iftar Meal Boxes
honouring Bedouin heritage
From the 22 March,
customers breaking their fast across all cabin classes to select Emirates destinations
will receive thoughtful, nutritionally-balanced iftar meal boxes. Iftar meals
will be served in bespoke boxes designed by Emirates to represent the rich
Emirati heritage of the Al Sadu weavers. Al Sadu is a traditional form of
weaving practised by Bedouin women of the UAE, who handmade soft furnishings
and decorative accessories with distinctive geometric patterns. Reflecting the
social aspect of Ramadan as family and friends gather to break the fast, the Al
Sadu weavers used to come together in groups to spin and weave, exchanging
family news, singing, and reciting poetry.
The iftar meal boxes
will include light dishes and starters such as hummus and spinach bil zeit,
Greek salad and cauliflower bil tahini, falafel sandwiches, pasta salad and fried
aubergine with mint, zaatar chicken salad and cauliflower bil tahini, chicken
musakhan sandwiches with Arabic bread, as well as staples like traditional
dates and refreshing laban. A smaller box will also be served at boarding gates
at Iftar time including all the essentials to comfortably break the fast.
Emirates’ iftar box
will be served to complement the regular hot meal service and menu’s will be
refreshed on a weekly basis to ensure a best-in-class dining experience during
the Holy Month. The boxes will be served on flights to select destinations
during times that coincide with iftar, on flights to and from the Gulf region,
as well as flights catering to Umrah groups travelling to Jeddah and Medina
during the month of Ramadan. Passengers may also check in one bottle of Islamic
holy water ‘ZAMZAM’, containing up to 5 litres per person at Dubai
International Airport (DXB) and various airports in the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia.
Captain announcements
of Iftar time
To ensure the highest
levels of accuracy for fasting Muslim passengers, Emirates uses a unique tool
to calculate the correct timings for imsak (the time to commence fasting) and
iftar while in-flight, based on the times of the sunrise and sunset of the
location the flight is passing by using the aircraft’s longitude,
latitude, and altitude. When the sun sets, passengers will be officially
informed of the iftar time by the captain.
Ramadan refreshments
in the lounges
For customers on the
ground boarding during iftar times, boxes containing water, juice, a banana,
and dates will be available to fasting customers at gates for several
destinations. At the Emirates lounges in DXB, traditional Arabic sweets,
dates and coffee will be offered during Ramadan. Meals available in First
and Business Class lounges will include a selection of hot and cold Arabic
mezzeh, lentil soup, lamb ouzi served with dakous and coriander mint raita,
shish taouk with harissa red pepper dip and Emirati ouzi. Desserts will feature
kunafa with pistachio and baklava ice-cream, baklawa pistachio finger, sweet
cashew kol w shkor and Arabic coffee and dates ice-cream. Emirates lounges are
equipped with dedicated prayer rooms and ablution facilities to ensure a
peaceful environment for worship.
Ramadan content
on ice
Throughout March and
April, Emirates ice inflight entertainment will feature special
religious content including Hadeeth Al Emam Al Tayeb, Nawafez Aala Al
Hayat, Qu’ran Mubeen, Deen Al Tasamoh, Meythaq Al Hayat, Mahe Ramadan (Urdu),
Ramadan Ki Fazilat (Urdu), Noor E Ramzan (Urdu) and Niyamat – E – Ramadan
(Urdu). The Holy Qur’an is also available on ice.
Popular Ramadan
series and dramas will also be available on ice, such as Al Wade' Mustaqer
– Season 2, Nasiby Wa Qesmetek – Season 4, Tahqiq, Rivo, 25 Soual, and Fil
Sayara. Amongst the diverse content on ice, there are more than 5,000
channels of on-demand entertainment including 742 Arabic channels featuring
movies, TV, podcasts, and music.
Ramadan Awareness
Training for Emirates staff
Emirates provides
Ramadan awareness training for its cabin crew and on ground teams in
Dubai and across its network. Special training resources have been
provided to ensure operational teams are aware of the Holy Month, understand
the cultural significance and nuances of this time and recognise specific
practices that Muslims engage in, so they are prepared to provide the highest
levels of service to customers at all touchpoints of their travel journey.
Image Credit: ©
Emirates Airlines
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