Emirates has unveiled a range of new and upcoming accessibility innovations at the 8th AccessAbilities Expo, the region’s leading event on accessibility and inclusive innovation, held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from October 19 to 21, 2026.
The exhibition was opened by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, who is also the patron of the expo.
Among the ideas still in development are a cabin familiarisation concept for passengers who are blind or have low vision, an accessible lounge suite for customers with reduced mobility, and biometric boarding gates designed for passengers with accessible travel requirements.
Mostafa Karam, Divisional Senior Vice President of Customer Affairs and Service Audit at Emirates, said the airline wants accessibility to be part of the core customer experience.
“We are looking beyond individual services and working with our partners to consider accessibility across the complete journey, from planning and the airport environment to the onboard experience and across destinations,” he said. He added that the focus is on practical improvements that reduce barriers, expand choice and help people travel with greater confidence, independence and dignity.
Cabin experience for low-vision passengers
Visitors to the stand sat in a real Emirates A350 seat with a U-Dream headrest while spatial audio described the cabin around them. The experience combines audio, tactile seat exploration and guided interaction with a host, helping passengers build familiarity with the aircraft before they fly.
Barrier-free boarding in Dubai
Emirates also showed its Biometric Path, which is in use at accessible boarding gates in Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport (DXB). The gates are barrier-free, and their cameras now adjust automatically to height and angle, so wheelchair users can move without restriction.
Self-service check-in kiosks have also been upgraded with text-to-speech, improved touchscreens, Braille and tactile features, headphone connections for audio, and height-adjustable interfaces.
Accessible lounge suite
The airline presented a wheelchair-accessible quiet suite where passengers with reduced mobility can rest before a flight. It builds on the Lounge Suites first introduced in First Class lounges in 2024.
The suite is designed for wheelchair users, passengers with reduced mobility, older travellers and anyone needing extra comfort, transfer space or postural support. It features a powered lift recliner with uplift, swivel and recline functions, integrated grab bars, and dedicated wheelchair storage with transfer space. Passengers can use it alone or with a companion.
The prototype is being developed for First Class, with possible extension to other classes later.
Services already available
- Travel Rehearsals: Emirates and airports worldwide organise practice runs of the airport journey for children and young adults with autism and their families. The airline has completed 80 rehearsals across six continents, reaching more than 400 families, and has trained over 35,000 staff to support customers with autism.
- Accessible & Inclusive Travel Hub: The page on Emirates.com lets customers browse by disability type, stage of the journey or specific needs. It covers special assistance bookings, an autism-friendly guide, DXB airport maps and sensory guides, wheelchair and mobility aid information, medical travel guidance including the Frequent Traveller Medical Card (FREMEC), and family travel.
- Sensory products: Fidget cubes, a tactile aircraft-shaped stress reliever and an aircraft rubber popper are available in all cabin classes for neurodivergent passengers, anxious flyers and others who need them.
- Inflight entertainment: The ice system offers more than 850 movies with closed captions and 200 with audio description. Emirates headphones work with hearing aids on the “T” setting. There are 12 Wellbeing TV channels and 31 wellbeing podcast and playlist channels. On the A350-900, a new interface built with Thales and visual-impairment advocacy groups supports audio-cue navigation, voice feedback and touch-and-swipe gestures.
- Accessible chauffeur service: Ten wheelchair-accessible Mercedes V Class vehicles are now available in Dubai for eligible First and Business Class passengers. They have a lowered floor, higher head clearance, an electric boarding mechanism, adjustable seating and extra safety restraints. Drivers are being trained in mobility assistance, and the airline plans to widen access later.
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