travel

Emirates Carries 55.6m Passengers in 2025

Emirates consolidated its position in 2025 as the world’s largest international airline after carrying 55.6 million passengers across nearly 180,580 flights, covering distances equivalent to circling the Earth more than 29,000 times, and placing orders for 73 new aircraft.

In a statement issued today, the airliner said that 2025, during which it celebrated 40 years since the launch of its operations in October, was marked by a clear vision for shaping the future of travel through sustained excellence.

The airline identified ten milestones that defined its year, starting with the entry into service of its first Airbus A350 aircraft in early January. The A350 network expanded rapidly to include 18 cities, currently served by 16 aircraft.

Emirates continued its expansion in Asia in 2025 with the launch of daily non-stop flights to Shenzhen and Hangzhou in mainland China, in addition to operating services to Da Nang in Vietnam and Siem Reap in Cambodia via Bangkok.

The airline also continued introducing new Airbus A350 aircraft and refurbished Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft, all featuring its award-winning Premium Economy cabin. The cabin now serves nearly 70 cities across more than 100 aircraft, representing around 40 percent of Emirates’ passenger fleet.

During the Dubai Airshow in November, Emirates announced the rollout of Starlink satellite internet connectivity across 232 aircraft, starting with Boeing 777s. Emirates will become the world’s first airline to operate Airbus A380 aircraft equipped with this technology in early 2026.

By the end of next year, more than 123 aircraft will offer complimentary ultra-fast connectivity for streaming, entertainment, work and browsing across all travel classes.

In 2025, Emirates announced nine major sports sponsorship agreements, including new deals and renewals. These included a seven-year agreement with FC Bayern Munich, making Emirates a Platinum Partner of one of the world’s leading football clubs, an extension of its partnership with World Rugby through 2035, and a new partnership with the European Professional Club Rugby to support top club rugby competitions across Europe, connecting the airline with more than 70 million rugby fans worldwide.

Other agreements included sponsorship of Real Madrid Basketball, renewal of its 18-year partnership with AC Milan, extensions with Olympique Lyonnais and the ATP Tour through 2030, and continued support for UAE Team Emirates XRG.

Emirates also launched Emirates Courier Express, which quickly expanded to serve 10 international markets, with plans for further expansion in 2026, achieving an average delivery time of no more than three days.

Emirates Skywards marked its silver jubilee in 2025. The award-winning programme now has 37 million members across 190 countries worldwide.

Over the past 20 years, Skywards has distributed nearly 400 billion reward miles through more than 100 partners, covering 1,400 flight destinations and 30,000 hotels. Members currently redeem more than 800 flight rewards daily, with one upgrade processed every minute, while the programme attracts around 78,000 new members each week.

In 2025, Emirates’ Aircrafted KIDS initiative distributed more than 3,700 handcrafted backpacks to underprivileged children in eight countries across Africa, West Asia and the Middle East, in cooperation with more than 12 non-governmental organisations supporting education.

The initiative included the distribution of more than 1,300 backpacks in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia; 700 backpacks in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan; and more than 1,600 backpacks in Egypt and Jordan. Each backpack contained essential school supplies and locally sourced books, with plans to expand the initiative to additional countries in 2026.

Emirates reinforced its leadership in accessible travel after becoming the world’s first airline to receive official certification as an Autism Certified Airline, following the training of more than 30,000 cabin crew and ground staff to support passengers with autism.

The airline also launched an Accessible and Inclusive Travel Hub on its website, offering user-friendly navigation tools, digital sensory guides and organised support based on disability type or journey stage.

Emirates expanded its pre-travel rehearsal programmes in 17 cities worldwide, enabling children with autism to simulate the airport experience before travel, alongside the introduction of new sensory products and calming toys onboard to support neurodiverse passengers.

Service enhancements introduced in 2025 included a safety-approved hooded mattress in Business Class to reduce the need for movement during flights for passengers with severe mobility impairments, in addition to offering more than 600 captioned films and 200 audio-described films on its inflight entertainment system to support passengers with visual and hearing impairments.

Emirates concluded 2025 by winning 25 prestigious awards, including Best Airline in the World for the eighth consecutive year at the ULTRAs, Best International Airline and Best International First Class at the Forbes Travel Guide Awards 2025, Best Long-Haul Airline by The Telegraph, and Best Airline Worldwide for the twelfth consecutive year at the Business Traveller Middle East Awards.

WAM

travel

Top 10 countries with the highest Schengen visa rejection

While thousands of UAE residents are currently scrambling to lock in travel plans ahead of the upcoming two-month school summer holiday, a smooth European getaway is far from a guarantee. In fact, choosing the wrong diplomatic mission right now could completely derail your vacation before it even begins.

The latest visa statistics from the European Commission reveal a stark reality for local holidaymakers: while some European nations welcome travellers with open arms, including giving them multiple-entry Schengen visas, a select group of consulates inside the UAE are proving to be major brick walls.

Surge in applications

Globally, the EU and Schengen-associated consulates received nearly 12 million applications for short-stay visas in 2025, a 1.8 percent increase from 2024 (11.7 million) and a 15.5 percent rise from 2023 (10.3 million). However, overall demand remained well below the 17 million applications recorded in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic.

10 million visas

Over 10 million visas were issued globally in 2025, a 3 percent increase from 2024 (9.7 million). While the global refusal rate held steady at 14.8 percent, rejection rates inside the UAE tell a wildly different story for certain destinations, with several consulates turning away more than a third — and in some cases, over half — of all local applicants.

Highest rejection rates

Data reveals that Bulgaria is statistically the hardest Schengen visa to secure in the UAE. The country maintains a staggering official rejection rate of 58.2 percent, turning away 2,473 applicants out of 4,494 requests.

Luxembourg follows closely as the second-hardest destination, with a 48.5 percent rejection rate, meaning nearly one out of every two UAE applicants is denied. Estonia takes the third spot with a refusal rate of 46.4 percent across its 468 applications.

The high-volume traps

While smaller European states often see high percentages due to lower application volumes, several massive, mainstream holiday destinations in the UAE are operating as major rejection traps for unsuspecting holidaymakers.

Malta rejected 45.9 percent of its 7,079 applicants in the UAE, while Croatia denied 42.6 percent of the 2,092 people who applied. Meanwhile, Nordic favourite Sweden maintained a strict barrier, rejecting 40.7 percent of its 6,312 local applicants.

Popular Eastern European hub Hungary crossed the 10,000-application milestone in the UAE but proved to be highly exclusive, turning down 35.2 percent (3,636 applicants) of its total pool. Poland also sits high on the refusal leaderboard at 32.5 percent.

Rounding out the top 10 hardest states are Denmark and Slovakia. Denmark processed a massive 17,288 applications from the UAE but handed out rejections to 31.8 percent of them, while Slovakia refused 31.5 percent of its 1,110 applicants.

Smart travel strategy

The data indicates that instead of gambling on boutique destinations or strict Nordic states, smart UAE travellers should anchor their summer holiday itineraries with diplomatic heavyweights like Spain, France, or Germany, all of which boast significantly higher pure approval rates locally.

Gulf news

travel

Saudi Arabia bans in-flight power bank charging

operating at the Kingdom’s airports, updating regulations governing the carriage of portable chargers, commonly known as power banks, and other electronic devices onboard aircraft.

The authority announced the updated rules on social media, saying the measures are aimed at enhancing aviation safety and aligning with international standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Charging power banks onboard banned

Under the new regulations, passengers and cabin crew are prohibited from recharging portable power banks during flights.

The authority said the measures are intended to strengthen aviation safety and security across all flights operating in the Kingdom.

Power banks allowed only in cabin baggage

The updated rules also state that power banks must be carried only in hand luggage inside the aircraft cabin and are strictly prohibited in checked baggage.

Passengers will be allowed to carry a maximum of two portable chargers each onboard.

As an added precautionary measure, the authority further recommended avoiding the use of power banks to charge electronic devices during flights.

travel

UAE restores normal air traffic operations

The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has announced that air traffic in the UAE’s airspace has returned to normal operations, with temporary precautionary measures lifted.

The authority said the decision followed a comprehensive assessment of operational and security conditions, carried out in coordination with relevant entities. It stressed that real-time monitoring will continue to ensure the highest levels of aviation safety.

The GCAA also expressed its appreciation for the cooperation of passengers and airlines during the recent period, reaffirming the readiness of its technical and operational teams to respond to any potential developments.

It urged the public to rely on official sources for information.