Furthering Dubai’s commitment to accessible travel and to raise awareness of autism, Emirates invited 30 UAE families with neurodiverse children to have a real check in experience and familiarisation flight last April 24, in Terminal 3 Dubai International Airport (DXB). The initiative was designed to help the children practice and alleviate anxieties before traveling, as well as providing a unique opportunity for Emirates to collaborate with key partners, and garner insights for improving accessible travel.
Emirates hosted Her Excellency Hessa BuHumaid, Director General of the Community Development Authority of Dubai, as well as 30 neurodiverse children aged between 8 and 12 years old from Dubai Autism Centre, Safe Centre for Autism, Rashid Centre for People of Determination and the New England Centre Children Clinic to attend the flight, including their caregivers. Emirates also invited a neurodiverse child with Angelman Syndrome to join the experience, a condition which can cause delayed development, problems with speech and balance, intellectual disability and seizures.
The group was joined by Adil Al Ghaith – SVP Emirates Commercial Operations in the Gulf, Middle East & Central Asia, and Mostafa Karam – SVP – Emirates Customer Affairs & Service Audit.
The group used the Autism Friendly Route through Dubai International Airport which includes access to priority lanes for check-in, passport control, security and boarding.
Specially trained Emirates check in staff and cabin crew were on hand to support throughout the journey. EK2605 departed DXB at 11:20am and landed again at 12:20pm, giving children a real-life experience of a flight including inflight service, announcements from the cabin crew and Captain, and the sounds and sights of a real take-off and landing.
According to a study by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) only 13% of families with neurodiverse children surveyed take family vacations because they cite the experience of the airport and flight as too stressful and triggering for the children’s sensory sensitivities.
However, 93% of families surveyed said they would take more trips if there were more autism-certified options available and support in place. The aim of the Emirates travel rehearsal initiative is to help customers with autism and sensory disorders and their families to prepare for travel, through a guided tour of the airport and aircraft cabin environment, as well as providing comprehensive training and understanding of neurodiversity to all Emirates team members. More Emirates initiatives are planned in the future, with a view to supporting neurodiverse needs and Dubai’s commitment to People of Determination.
At the event, members of IBCCES were tasked to provide insights and notes on the inflight experience for neurodiverse customers. Emirates and IBCCES are working together to develop an official Autism-friendly inflight certification, which could be eventually used by other airlines.
This certification will complement Emirates’ recent achievements, where all Dubai Check In facilities – Emirates City Check-In & Travel Store in DIFC, Emirates Cruise Check In – Port Rashid, Emirates Cruise Check In – Dubai Harbour and Emirates City Check-In Ajman and Emirates’ dedicated hub in Terminal 3 DXB were awarded the Certified Autism Center™ Designation. This also builds on the recent recognition of Dubai International Airport as the first international airport to earn the designation from IBCCES, as well as aligning with the Department of Economy and Tourism’s vision of becoming the first Certified Autism Destination™ in the Middle East.
By working together – Emirates, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, and Dubai Airports in collaboration with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs, Dubai Police and Dubai Customs, are making travel more inclusive and accessible for all, reflecting Dubai’s commitment to becoming a leading destination for travellers with diverse needs and aligning with Dubai’s Social Agenda 33, under the theme ‘Family: The Foundation of Our Nation’.
Emirates and partners support neurodivergent passengers and People of Determination in many ways:
𝑬𝒎𝒊𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝑬𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒆 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈
More than 29,000 cabin crew and ground staff globally have completed Emirates ‘Introduction to Autism and Hidden Disabilities’ training. The online course was first launched in 2022 and covers a range of topics from the UAE National Policy for People of Determination, recognising autism, practical tips on how to assist passengers with hidden disabilities, responding with empathy, and information on the official support systems to help passengers in the airport.
𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹
𝑰𝒏𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆
Emirates supports passengers with hidden disabilities by providing as much information in advance as possible, so that families can plan, rehearse, and be reassured about their upcoming travel. Passengers can check the Accessible Travel page on Emirates.com for information and contact their Emirates local office with queries.
𝑭𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝑺𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝑺𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑩𝒖𝒍𝒌𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑺𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔
Passengers who declare a hidden disability will be facilitated as much as possible in the complimentary selection of suitable seats, for example the bulkhead seats at the front and middle of the aircraft for both the autistic passenger and their companion. This can be requested via Emirates local office.
𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 ‘𝑫𝑷𝑵𝑨 𝒄𝒐𝒅𝒆’ 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒂 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕
A DPNA is an airline industry code for special service request (SSR) for a ‘passenger with intellectual or developmental disability.’ The DPNA code can be applied to a booking made in person, via telephone or travel agent and is applied once the hidden disability is declared, so that the passenger will be supported throughout their journey with assistance from trained staff.
𝑺𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 ‘𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒎 𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝑮𝒖𝒊𝒅𝒆’ 𝒕𝒐 𝑫𝒖𝒃𝒂𝒊 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑨𝒊𝒓𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕
Emirates has collaborated with Dubai International Airport on a comprehensive pre-travel planning tool for passengers with hidden disabilities. The Autism Friendly Guide to Dubai International Airport provides a step-by-step explanation and images of every part of the journey through the airport to boarding, and details what services are available.
𝑷𝒓𝒆-𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒔
Some passengers may need a special meal onboard if they have a sensory sensitivity. This can be ordered a minimum of 24 hours in advance on www.Emirates.com or on the Emirates app. There are options to order gluten free meals, bland meals, vegetarian and diabetic meals. For Kids Meals, families who are travelling with an autistic passenger may contact the Emirates local office with their request in advance.
𝑷𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒂 𝑬𝒎𝒊𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒑𝒑
Download the Emirates app, and before a flight passengers can spend time planning and pre-selecting their favourite movies, TV shows or music playlists. Once the passenger has boarded, their personally curated playlist can be synced immediately to ice, saving time, and enabling them to settle into the flight quicker with the comfort of their familiar content.
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𝗔𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁
𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 2 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔
People of Determination receive complimentary parking in all terminals in Dubai International Airport for 2 hours. People of Determination taxis can also be booked via Dubai Taxi on their toll-free number 80088088.
𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑯𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝑺𝒖𝒏𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝑳𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒂𝒓𝒅
The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower is a globally recognised symbol for hidden disabilities. Emirates and Dubai International Airport staff with Sunflower pins are easily identifiable and specially trained to assist travellers with hidden disabilities.
Passengers are encouraged to declare their hidden disability to these staff and collect a Sunflower Lanyard to wear, allowing for support throughout the airport journey. The sunflower lanyard can be collected from the information desk in Departures, Terminal 3 and from easily identifiable collection points in Terminals 1 and 2.
𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒎-𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝑹𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒆
The Autism Friendly Route through Dubai International Airport ensures that People of Determination journey through the airport with a dedicated route. It includes access to priority lanes for check-in, passport control, security and boarding; and can be availed when wearing the sunflower lanyard.
Specially trained staff equipped to support People of Determination will be easily identifiable wearing sunflower pins, allowing for increased visibility, communication and support throughout the airport journey.
𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒃𝒐𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒓 𝒃𝒐𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒅
People who have declared their hidden disabilities to Emirates staff will be facilitated in boarding the aircraft first if they choose, or last if this more convenient.
𝗘𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲
𝑭𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓
Emirates makes every effort to seat families with children together, and passengers who have declared their hidden disability will be seated beside their companion or guardian.
𝑵𝒐𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒑𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔
Passengers with an aural sensory need in First and Business Class will have access to noise-cancelling headphones to block out ambient cabin sounds.
𝑳𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑺𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒚
If the customer, child or family member informs Emirates cabin crew about a light sensitivity, cabin crew can turn off the passenger’s individual light, close the window blind after take-off, and explain that the cabin lights will be dimmed as soon as the meal services are completed.
𝑮𝒆𝒕 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒑𝒖𝒛𝒛𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝑭𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑴𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒆
Young children onboard who need a screen break or distraction can request a copy of the Emirates ‘Fly with Me’ activity pack, with its own pack of non-toxic colouring pencils, featuring kid-friendly world maps, puzzles, drawing tutorials, colouring pages, educational activities about Dubai and protecting the environment.
𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒄𝒆
Passengers enjoying an Emirates flight can pass the time in a world class entertainment library with more than 6,500 channels of on demand entertainment, over 1,900 movies and 1,500 hours of TV, as well as music, podcasts and audiobooks across 40 languages. Ice also has up to 100 video games, which can be played by two players in different seats if the game is a multiplayer game.
