As part of its ‘Fly Better’ promise, Emirates has showcased a suite of new services and innovative products for People of Determination at the 6th edition of AccessAbilities Expo at Dubai World Trade Centre – one of the largest exhibitions for people with disabilities in the Middle East.

At the event, officially opened by HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group and patron of the AccessAbilities Expo, Emirates unveiled new products and creative innovations such as:

• A virtual reality airport tour
• A sign language robot
• A new protective transportation device for wheelchairs
• An app that provides accessible video support to the visually impaired
• Sensory guides to the airport for neurodivergent customers
• A chauffeur drive vehicle fitted with an electric wheelchair lift amongst others

Emirates has been committed to ensuring the end-to-end travel experience is accessible and inclusive for all travellers for many years, but this focus has been enhanced in 2024, following the milestone introduction of the Emirates Accessibility Policy, and launch of the Office of Accessibility and Inclusion within Emirates’ Customer Affairs and Service Audit division, which facilitates the strategy across the business and drives advocacy across aviation ecosystem partners.

New Emirates accessibility services showcased at the Expo

Be My Eyes app

Emirates will soon be integrated into the Be My Eyes app for the blind and low vision community, making it the first airline in the world to launch the service. The Be My Eyes app provides accessible video support for customers, creating empathetic experiences for customers with disabilities.

Customers can download the Be My Eyes app for free on their smartphones and by selecting Emirates from the company profile list on the app, are then able to place a call routed through the Emirates Call Centre for support via a live video call.

The airline agent can then direct the customer on which direction to walk or what to do next. The Be My Eyes app has grown in popularity and is supported through 8 million volunteers who become the eyes for the blind and low vision community.

Emirates’ Sensory Guide for Neurodivergent travellers

As part of many initiatives implemented for neurodivergent customers, the airline has launched a new sensory guide in the form of an infographic for Emirates Terminal 3 in Dubai International Airport (DXB).

The sensory guide is an educational, informative tool that has been developed in collaboration with the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) to identify sensory stimuli that customers may expect and experience across their journey through Terminal 3.

The guide informs the customers of the potential intensity level of sensory stimuli such as sound, light, smell, touch and the presence of sudden noises or flashing lights at specific locations around the airport. The Emirates Sensory Guide will be available on the Accessible Travel page on Emirates.com.

Accessible Chauffeur Drive Service

At the expo, Emirates introduced attendees to the first Emirates-branded wheelchair accessible vehicle. The Chauffeur Drive vehicle is a Mercedes V250 Van featuring an electric wheelchair lift and ramp.

The lift is a powered device which is designed to extend and lower onto ground level to safely raise a wheelchair and its occupant into the vehicle in a seamless manner. Once inside, the additional safety restraints secure the customer who may have severe mobility disabilities.

The airline’s chauffeur drivers are currently being trained in mobility assistance and lifting to support customers with disabilities. Currently, the wheelchair accessible vehicle is used for First and Business Class customers availing of chauffeur drive services based in Dubai, with plans to extend its availability in the future.

At Emirates’ own in-house Innovation Lab, teams of experts are dedicated to developing innovative solutions to issues, including Accessibility.

The team has come up with several prototypes that could benefit Emirates’ customers with accessibility requirements. The prototypes below were showcased at AccessAbilities Expo 2024, where users could interact and trial the products, sharing their thoughts with the Innovation team.

Sign Language Robot

The sign language robot has been developed to provide information and guidance services for customers who are deaf or hearing impaired.

Initial trials include training the robot to understand specific sign language phrases and gestures, so that it can respond with travel information like flight status, wayfinding in airports – easing travel anxiety for customers with disabilities.

The robot has a screen that can showcase maps, directions and even an AI Emirati guide who signs back to the customer. Once fully developed, the aim is to extend the technology across different digital channels.

Virtual Reality Tour

The virtual reality tour is a digital travel rehearsal for customers with accessibility requirements, whereby a virtual reality headset allows the customer to explore and practice the journey through Emirates Terminal 3, Dubai International Airport (DXB) from any location.

The virtual reality route highlights all the areas where inclusive services are applicable including the helpdesk offering the Sunflower Lanyard for hidden disabilities, the priority lanes for customers in the Immigration and Customs areas, the accessible biometrics boarding gates and more.

In the future, the virtual reality tour has potential to be integrated into Emirates.com, whereby customers all around the world can access it in advance of their travel.

Wheelchair Cube

The new Emirates wheelchair cube concept seeks to provide a solution to the safe and secure transport of mobility aids and equipment. The cube solution keeps wheelchairs intact during transport and handling and can be securely restrained inside the aircraft for extra protection.

The design recognises the critical importance of providing peace of mind for customers for whom a wheelchair is an extension of their physical body, is essential to their quality of life, and has often been modified and personalised to its owner at considerable expense.

In-seat accessibility tools

At the Expo, the airline showcased a row of Premium Economy seats, to show attendees the inflight accessibility tools that can make flying more comfortable including noise-cancellation headphones which can benefit neurodiverse customers.

The onboard wheelchair that is used once a customer’s own wheelchair has been stored and secured, the scala combi which help customers with reduced mobility ascend and descend stairs, the easyglide and belt which help customers with mobility issues slide from the cabin wheelchair into their seat comfortably, and seat belt extensions when they may be required.

Accessible inflight entertainment

Over 20 years ago, Emirates was the first airline to use Closed Captions(CC) to assist the hearing impaired on its inflight entertainment, later also adding the Audio Description (AD) feature.

Hundreds of movies on Emirates’ award-winning ice now offer these added features to aid customers with hearing, vision, and neurodiverse conditions. On the new A350 aircraft that Emirates will soon introduce into the fleet, the inflight entertainment system will have a user interface option designed specifically for people who are blind or have low vision.

Services and solutions for travellers with autism

For travellers with cognitive disabilities and sensory conditions, Emirates has been working hard on a series of initiatives including Certified Autism Center Designations for all four of its Dubai Check In facilities - Emirates City Check-in & Travel Store in DIFC, Emirates Cruise Check In - Port Rashid, Emirates Cruise Check In - Dubai Harbour and Emirates City Check-In Ajman, in addition to Emirates’ dedicated passenger hub in Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport (DXB).

This achievement builds on the recent recognition of Dubai International Airport as the first international airport to earn the designation from IBCCES and aligns with the Department of Economy and Tourism's (DET) vision of becoming the first Certified Autism Destination (CAD) in the Eastern hemisphere.

Multiple services are available to customers identifying as neurodiverse to support their travel journey, from pre-travel guides to priority routes through the airport.

At the AccessAbilities Expo 2024, Emirates showcased the digital accessibility of Emirates.com via a dedicated video. The Emirates website has applied the highest standard of web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) for the last 10 years and supports screen reader technologies.

Its digital team works with external consultants for regular independent audits to test the website’s accessibility.

Emirates.com also features a 3D viewing tool and seat map, which can allow neurodiverse customers to explore their seat and the aircraft in advance.

Trainings for cabin crew and ground staff

More than 29,000 Emirates cabin crew and ground staff globally have completed the Emirates ‘Introduction to Autism and Hidden Disabilities’ training.

Working together with key entities

Emirates works closely with numerous entities to ensure leading practices across the travel journey, including the Department of Economy and Tourism, Dubai Airports, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs, Dubai Police and Dubai Customs - reflecting Dubai's commitment to becoming the world’s best city for living and visiting, in line with Dubai’s D33 agenda. – TradeArabia News Service