Emirates expands travel rehearsal programme across all UK airports
Initiative helps passengers with accessibility requirements gain confidence before flying
DUBAI – Emirates has completed its Travel Rehearsal programme at every UK airport it serves, marking a significant expansion of its efforts to support passengers with accessibility requirements and help them feel more confident about flying.
The airline’s global Travel Rehearsal programme provides guided simulations of the air travel journey, allowing participants to become familiar with airport procedures and the onboard experience before their actual trip.
In the UK, sessions have been held at London Stansted, London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Birmingham, Newcastle, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh. More than 90 participants have taken part so far through partnerships with special needs schools and Additional Support Needs groups across the country.
Supported by Emirates and airport staff at all eight gateways, participants experience key stages of the journey, including check-in, security screening and time in the departure lounge.
The rehearsals also cover the arrival process, with participants guided through immigration and passport control, baggage collection and the arrivals meet-and-greet process.
Jabr Al-Azeeby, Emirates’ divisional vice president, UK, said the airline was proud to have extended the programme to every Emirates gateway across the UK.
“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,” he said.
Al-Azeeby credited Emirates’ Airport Services teams for organising and hosting the sessions, adding that the programme had received positive feedback from participating families.
Making travel more accessible
Emirates became the world’s first Autism-Certified Airline, with more than 35,000 cabin crew and ground staff completing specialised autism awareness training.
The training provides employees with a deeper understanding of the autism spectrum, common misconceptions, challenges passengers may encounter while travelling and ways to offer personalised support based on individual needs.
The airline has also expanded its Travel Rehearsal programme across its international network. Since April 2025, Emirates Airport Services teams have organised more than 40 rehearsals for over 250 families at airports across the world.
These have included destinations such as Accra, Antananarivo, Athens, Bali, Bengaluru, Barcelona, Bologna, Brussels, Cairo, Cebu, Christchurch, Da Nang, Delhi, Dubai, Dublin, Durban, Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Harare, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London, Luanda, Lusaka, Madrid, Malé, Mauritius, Milan, Newcastle, Nice, Orlando, Oslo, Paris, Pampanga, Peshawar, Port Louis, Rome, Stansted, Stockholm, Sydney, Toronto, Thiruvananthapuram, Venice and Vienna.
The programme is designed to give passengers and their families a clearer understanding of what to expect at each stage of their journey, while allowing airline and airport teams to become familiar with the individual support requirements of participants before they travel.