With the month of Ramadan expected to begin this week (around 22nd March), Emirates is playing its inflight service part for those who are observing this time.
Let us see what they are preparing.
Iftar Meal Boxes honouring Bedouin heritage
From 22 March, customers breaking their fast across all cabin classes to select Emirates destinations will receive 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 United Arab Emirates, 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. 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 Dubai International Airport, 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.
Onboard, Ramadan content will be loaded on the IFE system – ice.
An important time
Whilst Emirates celebrates various seasons, Ramadan is important for it, as well as the passengers it will serve (be it those who have to travel, those going to meet loved ones or those who are on a pilgrimage.
Being able to adapt to serve the passengers’ needs at this time is important given the markets it serves (as well as its home base).
And for those travelling, a little understanding of their requirements will go a long way.
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