Emirates hosts ‘travel rehearsals’ to help people with autism at airports

Emirates has hosted ‘travel rehearsals’ for families with children or young adults with autism and other accessibility requirements at every UK airport it serves.

The world’s first ‘autism-certified airline’ said the sessions mark “a key milestone in strengthening how Emirates supports people with accessibility requirements across its global network, helping them feel more confident when flying”.

The travel rehearsals are guided simulations, familiarising people with airport procedures and the onboard experience before they travel.

The sessions in the UK took place at Stansted, Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham, Newcastle, Manchester, Glasgow, and Edinburgh.

To deliver this initiative, the airline partnered with special needs schools and additional support needs groups across the UK, with more than 90 participants taking part so far.

Supported by airport and airline staff, participants were guided through check-in, security and the departure lounge, before experiencing the arrivals process, including immigration and passport control, baggage collection, and arrivals meet-and-greet.

Jabr Al-Azeeby, Emirates’ UK divisional vice-president, said: “We are incredibly proud to have now brought this global initiative to every Emirates gateway across the UK, from Scotland down to London.

“As the world’s first autism-certified airline, we are committed to helping remove some of the invisible barriers that people with accessibility requirements can face when travelling.

“These sessions would not have been possible without the dedication of our Emirates Airport Services teams, who helped organise and host these experiences.

“We’ve had great feedback from attending families, and we look forward to continuing the programme across our UK airports and supporting even more people to travel with greater confidence.”

More than 35,000 cabin crew and ground staff at Emirates have completed specialised autism awareness training.

The programme equips employees with in-depth knowledge of the autism spectrum, common misconceptions, challenges faced during travel, and personalised support strategies tailored to individual passenger needs.

Since April 2025, Emirates’ airport services teams have arranged more than 40 of these travel rehearsals for more than 250 families in airports across the world.