Emirates offers simulated air travel experience for people with special needs across UK airports

Dubai: Emirates has successfully expanded its Travel Rehearsal programme across all eight UK airports it serves, helping people with accessibility requirements build confidence and prepare for air travel before their journey.

The initiative has been rolled out at London Stansted, London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Birmingham, Newcastle, Manchester, Glasgow, and Edinburgh airports.

Emirates' global Travel Rehearsal programme offers guided simulations of the complete air travel experience, allowing participants to become familiar with airport procedures and onboard processes in a supportive, low-pressure environment before travelling.

Working closely with airport partners and airline staff across all eight gateways, participants were guided through every stage of the journey—from check-in, security screening and the departure lounge to the arrivals process, including immigration, passport control, baggage collection and meet-and-greet services.

To deliver the initiative, Emirates has partnered with special needs schools and Additional Support Needs (ASN) groups across the UK, with more than 90 participants taking part so far.

Emirates became the world's first Autism-Certified Airline, with more than 35,000 cabin crew and ground staff completing specialised autism awareness training. Since April 2025, the airline's Airport Services teams have organised more than 40 Travel Rehearsal sessions for over 250 families across airports in multiple countries, reinforcing Emirates' commitment to making air travel more accessible and inclusive for all