Emirates expands Travel Rehearsals
Emirates is reinforcing its commitment to making air travel more accessible to people with autism through the Emirates Travel Rehearsals programme, travel simulations designed to help neurodivergent children and young adults become familiar with the airport experience before embarking on a real flight . Over the past year, the company has organized these personalized activities in over 40 cities around the world, positively impacting more than 250 families.
The initiative was created to respond to a concrete difficulty that many families experience when they have to face a plane trip. For many people with autism, predictability and preparation are key, while the airport can be a complex environment of procedures, intense sensory stimuli and situations that are difficult to manage. According to a survey cited by Emirates and conducted by AutismTravel.com, 78% of households are hesitant to travel or visit new destinations for these reasons.
Following the first positive feedback in Dubai, Emirates has transformed Travel Rehearsals into an official programme to be progressively extended to the entire global network. Since April 2025, Emirates Airport Services teams have collaborated to organise more than 40 simulations at airports on different continents, 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 Louis, Rome, Stansted, Stockholm, Sydney, Toronto, Trivandrum, Venice and Vienna.
Participants can experience all the main stages of the airport route in advance: check-in, baggage drop, security and immigration checks, as well as passing through the shopping and dining areas. Simulated boarding passes and the opportunity to meet uniformed staff are also provided. At some airports, Emirates teams have also managed to arrange access to real aircraft, making the experience even more realistic and useful in the run-up to the flight.
To support the program there is also an important internal training work. Over 35,000 Emirates staff have been trained to assist customers with autism and help facilitate both real-world travel and simulations. The airline also works with airport authorities, operating partners, schools and specialised centres, with the aim of ensuring a positive and reassuring experience for all the families involved.
For travellers, the value of this initiative is particularly relevant because it helps to reduce anxiety before departure and allows you to approach the airport with greater familiarity. The program will continue throughout 2026. At the same time, Emirates continues to make sensory and anti-stress products available on board, in all classes of travel, designed for neurodiverse passengers, for those who experience moments of discomfort during the flight or for those who face the journey with anxiety.
To further support passengers, Emirates has also developed a section on its website dedicated to accessible and inclusive travel, where content can be consulted according to the type of disability, including those not visible, or following the different stages of the journey, such as before the flight, departure from Dubai, on board, stopover in Dubai and arrival in Dubai. The tools available also include a specific guide to preparing for travel with autism and sensory maps of Dubai International Airport (DXB).
