Emirates completes more than 40 travel rehearsals for young people with autism worldwide | News

Emirates has continued its commitment to making travel more accessible for everyone, successfully hosting tailor-made Emirates Travel Rehearsals in more than 40 cities worldwide over the past year. Now that more than 250 families have been 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. This eases travel anxiety and gives them the opportunity to fly with more confidence.

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

Since April 2025, Emirates’ Airport Services teams have come together to host more than 40 of these travel rehearsals at airports including 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 employees are trained to support customers with autism and can help facilitate travel and travel rehearsals. Emirates teams work closely with airport authorities and partners to ensure every rehearsal is a supportive and successful experience for families.

Sami Aqil Abdullah, Senior Vice President, Emirates Airport Services Outstation & Business Support, commented;
“The Emirates Travel Rehearsal program was a resounding success across six continents, with impressive collaboration and commitment from 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 scale this success with more locations, more engaged teams and more families having a positive impact and being able to fly with confidence.”

What is an Emirates Travel rehearsal?
As the world’s first autism-certified airline, Emirates is aware that international air travel is a very challenging experience for many families, or something to be avoided entirely due to the high level of sensory stimulation involved. A survey on AutismTravel.com found that 78% of families hesitate to travel or visit new locations for these reasons. For many people with autism, planning and predictability are crucial – and an airport represents a world of unknown processes and stimuli.

Emirates Travel Rehearsals is a purpose-driven community collaboration and learning exercise organized by Emirates, with the support of international airport teams, border control and security teams, and schools and autism centers around the world. The travel rehearsals allow neurodivergent people to participate in a real-time journey through the airport, practicing the actions of checking in, dropping bags, going through immigration and security, and experiencing the hustle and bustle of shopping and dining areas. While familiarizing themselves with the airport, participants are also given mock boarding passes and have the opportunity to meet the many uniformed personnel they encounter along the way. At some airports, Emirates teams managed to arrange access to real aircraft for the children and young adults.

Positive feedback from participants
Now at an international level, parents, therapists, teachers, young adults and children involved in the travel rehearsals to date have reported to Emirates that the experience has been invaluable in helping to ensure a safe and successful flight, providing the comfort of preparation and familiarity, as well as trained staff to support.

“The relief experienced when institutions like Emirates took children with neurological differences into account in their operational strategies! It is such a beautiful feeling to know that a parent is welcomed with tremendous support during travel. It is like a path to freedom for my child.” From the founder and parent of an Autism Center, Accra.

“Now I’m not afraid anymore! Maybe next year we can fly again. Before it was terrible. But now I can leave my fears somewhere else.” From Noah in Düsseldorf, 13 years old.

“A real highlight of the day was seeing the Emirates A350 arrive on the stand as the captains waved to the children – a moment that created enormous excitement. By the end of the evening there were smiles everywhere and the atmosphere was filled with pride and joy. The children went home with their ‘checked in’ bags filled with Emirates goodies, making the experience even more memorable. ​It was an incredibly rewarding day and we are grateful to everyone who took part and supported this.” From an autism group leader, Edinburgh.

“It is heart-warming to see and feel that in this busy world, time is still spent thinking about those who need that little bit of extra care. Thanks to this experience, our child can finally form a realistic picture of what he can expect from a flying holiday, because he simply cannot imagine it with explanation alone. We found it great fun and very useful to experience this together with our son! Thank you!” From a parent in Brussels.

“Interesting! I got to check the baggage claim. Everything was great. Especially the picnic area (lounge), the weapons check (security), the plane, just everything!” From Oskar in Düsseldorf, 7 years old.

“Thank you for the experience yesterday. From what the participants said, I don’t think it could have gone better. Mario still says it was the best day of his life.” Parent of Fundación Friends, Barcelona.

“Emirates’ efforts to create greater awareness, understanding and sensitivity for people with invisible disabilities deserve the highest appreciation. Your approach demonstrates insight, respect and genuine commitment, making the world a better place and making the lives of people with disabilities more livable. It is inspiring to see the care and attention you put into this. Hopefully other airlines will follow your example and awareness for people with disabilities will continue to grow. Thank you very much for this wonderful experience.” From a leader of an Autism group in Brussels.

“Unusual, I’ve never been to an airport before. Very strange bus, it had doors on both sides. The cockpit was very cool! I was surprised when I got a present, I was very happy! Everything was unusual, but fine and I could understand everything that was explained.” From Erik in Düsseldorf, 19 years old.

“I was buzzing with excitement as the day approached with my students. The Emirates team were incredibly welcoming and supportive and went above and beyond to make our travel experience both exciting and comfortable. From sensory-friendly spaces to tailor-made support, every detail was thought through. We had so much fun with the staff that they really understood us and were very happy to have us. Thank you for making it an unforgettable day.’ From a classroom teacher in Accra.

“The experience you have given us is priceless. We are still overwhelmed by the welcome we received. We enjoyed all the details and preparation of the tickets at check-in, the checks, boarding and meeting the crew. We consider it a very important step forward. The boys and girls came back very happy and after a week they are still thinking about the visit and talking about it. The feedback from families has also been very positive.” Representative of the Fundación Aucavi, Madrid.

“Thank you for being able to feel so light in moments like this. It was an honor for families to think of our children with autism. You unpacked the travel aspirations they have and their desired destinations. One parent said they never asked their son where he wanted to go because he didn’t think he knew any destinations.” Representative of the Regional Development Office for Autism, South Africa

“Thank you, Emirates. It helped us a lot to be able to go through the check-in process up to boarding the plane (the problem for us was/is the transportation on the passenger bridge, but now we know it will be good for our child too). Special thanks for your hospitality and for the patience of the Emirates staff. Our little boy had a great desire to board the plane, we returned home enriched with positive experiences. He also went to school today with the hat he received.” Parent from Hungary

“I haven’t traveled in ten years for fear of my child. After this experience I feel more confident and hope to plan a trip with him.” Parent from Angola
“A million thanks for the organisation, your team were incredibly professional and friendly. My thanks to the crew member who showed Nore around, it made his day! He was also over the moon with the goodie bag he received, his smile got bigger and bigger as we got home. You really did a great job as he ended his day by raising his arms and shouting ‘I love being autistic’!” Parent of Nore from Oslo.

“It was more than an airport experience. It was a gesture of respect, care and recognition of everyone’s right to belong, to travel and to live fully. Every smile, every performance and every emotional look from our little ones and their families revealed the true meaning of inclusion: creating safe, welcoming and accessible spaces for all.” Doctor from the Kuzola Mona Children Development Centre, Angola.

“Wow, what an experience you gave our students on Friday. As a teacher of students with specialist needs for over 20 years, this was one of the best things I have attended. Everyone commented on the care and attention from the entire Emirates team and ground staff at Christchurch Airport. We now have families who feel confident about traveling! The Emirates aircraft model now has a new home, at the school reception.” Teacher at Pītau-Allenvale School, Christchurch.

Emirates’ continued support for neurodiverse customers
Emirates will continue to host travel rehearsals across its global network in 2026, with more schools and centers invited to participate.
Emirates’ range of sensory products and fidget toys for customers of all ages remains available on board in all cabin classes, for neurodiverse passengers, anyone who is struggling on board or is a nervous traveler.

Emirates Accessible and Inclusive Travel Hub on Emirates.com is designed to contain all the information needed for accessible and inclusive travel, with accessibility-friendly navigation that allows customers to easily find information and explore the many ways Emirates can provide travel assistance and support. To reduce the anxiety of traveling, customers can choose to view and explore sections by disability, including hidden disabilities. If desired, customers can search by looking at specific parts of the journey, which are clearly arranged: before your flight, departing Dubai, boarding your flight, connecting in Dubai and arriving in Dubai. A third option allows customers to search by specific needs, including Prepare to Travel with the Autism Friendly Guide and Explore Dubai Airport (DXB) map and sensory guides.