Emirates completes more than 40 Travel Rehearsals for youth with autism globally

- Emirates completes more than 40 Travel Rehearsals for youth with autism globally, easing travel anxiety for more than 250 families

Emirates has continued its commitment to making travel more accessible for all, by successfully arranging bespoke Emirates Travel Rehearsals across more than 40 cities globally over the past year. With more than 250 families positively impacted, Emirates Travel Rehearsals are designed to support children and young adults with autism, allowing them to practice the journey through the airport to prepare for real flights - easing travel anxiety and empowering them to fly with more confidence.

After the initial Emirates Travel Rehearsals in Dubai resulted in positive feedback from families, schools and autism organisations; the Emirates Office of Accessibility & Inclusion formulated the travel rehearsal into an official programme, to be rolled out across its global network.

Since April 2025, Emirates’ Airport Services teams have come together to arrange more than 40 of these travel rehearsals across airports like Accra, Athens, Bali, Bangalore, Barcelona, Bologna, Brussels, Cairo, Christchurch, Da Nang, Delhi, Dubai, Dublin, Durban, Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Harare, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London, Luanda, Madrid, Mauritius, Milan, Newcastle, Nice, Orlando, Oslo, Paris, Peshawar, Port Luis, Rome, Stansted, Stockholm, Sydney, Toronto, Trivandrum, Venice and Vienna.

More than 35,000 Emirates staff have been trained to support customers with autism and can help facilitate travel, and Travel Rehearsals. Emirates teams work very closely with airport authorities and partners to make sure each rehearsal is a supportive and successful experience for the families.

Sami Aqil Abdullah, Senior Vice President, Emirates Airport Services Outstation & Business Support, commented;

‘The Emirates Travel Rehearsal programme has been a resounding success across 6 continents, with impressive collaboration and drive shown by all stakeholders, from our own Emirates teams to our airport partners, and the parents and teachers who trusted us to support their children. We will continue to amplify this success with more locations, more teams involved, and more families positively impacted and empowered to fly with confidence.’