As the world’s largest international airline serving 140 destinations globally, Emirates welcomes the unique opportunity to present the Arabic language to more than 52 million diverse customers. 

 

Ahead of UNESCO’s World Arabic Language Day on December 18, Emirates highlights the array of Arabic language services available to customers, thousands of Arabic speaking cabin crew, and the wealth and breadth of rich Arabic language content available on its inflight entertainment system – ice.

 

World Arabic Language Day is celebrated on December 18 since it was established in 2012. The date commemorates the day that the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted Arabic as the sixth official language of the organisation in 1973. Used daily by more than 500 million people, Arabic is very much a part of the Emirates brand, playing a vital role in the operations and customer service of the multi award-winning airline.

 

The Emirates logo

The Emirates logo features Arabic calligraphy and is a key element of the airline's identity, symbolising its roots in the UAE and commitment to showcasing Arabic hospitality and culture globally. Originally created in 1985, the logo underwent a significant redesign in 1999 to modernise its appearance and align with the airline's rapid growth and global ambitions. 

 

The Arabic script was refined with a more fluid and bold style, making it visually striking and versatile for branding on aircraft, advertisements, and other materials. The current logo maintains the stylised Arabic word "الإمارات," designed to evoke sophistication, luxury, and cultural pride, appearing in gold or white to emphasise Emirates’ premium positioning. The Arabic logo has remained a consistent part of Emirates' branding to reflect a dual commitment to innovation and tradition, with a design that has contributed to making Emirates one of the most recognisable airline brands worldwide.

 

Emirates’ Arabic Language Customer Services

Emirates’ official website and mobile app are available in both Arabic and English, offering Arabic-speaking customers a localised browsing experience. The website provides services such as booking flights, checking flight status, and managing reservations in Arabic. Emirates also provides Arabic-language customer support via phone, email, and social media channels, ensuring that Arabic-speaking customers can easily resolve any issues or queries.

 

Emirates Safety Video and Signage in Arabic

Emirates has recently launched a revamped safety video that focuses on delivering safety instructions in a clear and straightforward manner. The video is available in both Arabic and English, featuring communication of critical safety measures such as seatbelt usage, oxygen mask operation, and emergency exit procedures. In its aircraft cabins, Emirates uses Arabic alongside English for various signs and instructions. This includes seatbelt signs, emergency exits, and cabin safety instructions, ensuring that Arabic-speaking customers can easily understand them. The safety cards in Emirates flights are printed in Arabic and English, ensuring that all customers have access to important safety information.

 

Arabic Language Inflight Announcements and Services

Emirates offers in-flight announcements in Arabic and English, and the local language of the flight’s arrival and departure country, ensuring that customers from Arabic-speaking countries feel at home. Emirates cabin crew make regular announcements about safety procedures, service offerings, and arrival details in multiple languages. Emirates menus are also presented in Arabic, highlighting the dedicated regionally inspired cuisine of the region.

 

Emirates Arabic Speaking Cabin Crew

Currently Emirates has more than 4,000 Arabic speaking cabin crew enabling seamless communication with Arabic-speaking customers. Emirates world class cabin crew hail from a wide range of Arabic speaking nations including Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen. Across Emirates’ airport employees, retail staff, VIP teams and call centre agents, there are hundreds of native Arabic speakers as well as those who speak Arabic as a second language.

 

Emirates’ wealth of Arabic Content on ice

Emirates' award-winning in-flight entertainment system ice offers a wide variety of Arabic-language content, including movies, TV shows, music, and news. It includes more than 50 of the latest Arabic Movies this December, like Arees Lel Bai'a, Beit El Ruby, Ilaa Ebillioni, El Sandooq El Aswad, Wizzo School and many classic Arabic movies too. There are an array of Bollywood Arabia movies as well as Hollywood movies with Arabic subtitles. In the Arabic TV folder there are more than 40 shows, as well as shows on Shahid  - the world’s leading Arabic streaming platform. Customers can enjoy Arabic documentaries like El Helm El Hindi, Cinema Al Ahouash, Asrar Paris, Al-Gaafra, Ahlam Menseya, Al Hesad, Bae'dan An El Nile, Endy Sura, Jawlet M Al Momela, Men Wa Ela Meir, Rasael Al Shaikh Draz and Ya Omri.

 

Emirates customers who wish to learn some Arabic themselves while enjoying a flight, can access the UTalk language courses on ice, and pick up key phrases in Standard Arabic, translated for Mandarin English, Turkish and Spanish speakers.

 

Emirates customers can also enjoy 15 channels of Arabic podcasts and audiobooks, The Holy Qur’an, and more than 500 channels of Arabic music including pop, classics, Khaleeji, Maghrebi and Arabic fusion. A host of cultural content includes My Story, a docudrama series inspired by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s book, Al Sanaa’- a show which explores local culture and traditions, and a podcast called Fazza – Qassed Fazza, a series of poems written by HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

 

Emirates’ commitment to the Arabic Language

The Arabic language is central to both the heritage and future of Emirates, with Emirates demonstrating this commitment through the sponsorship and support of cultural events, literature, and initiatives that promote the Arabic language. Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, which will happen next month on January 29, celebrates Arabic and international literary works and the power of words, ideas, and storytelling. Established in 2009, the festival is held annually in Dubai and brings together renowned authors, poets, speakers, and thinkers from around the globe. Providing a platform for discussions on literature, creativity, and social issues, bridging cultures and fostering understanding through the written and spoken word, the festival features panel discussions, book signings, workshops, poetry performances, and activities for children, highlighting Arabic literature, offering sessions in Arabic and English and supporting local authors and emerging talents.--TradeArabia News Service