Emirates has announced additional flights to its Gulf destinations for Eid Al Fitr. Photo: Emirates
Emirates has announced additional flights to its Gulf destinations for Eid Al Fitr. Photo: Emirates
Emirates has announced additional flights to its Gulf destinations for Eid Al Fitr. Photo: Emirates
Emirates has announced additional flights to its Gulf destinations for Eid Al Fitr. Photo: Emirates

Eid Al Fitr: Emirates adds flights to Gulf destinations to meet increased demand


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Emirates has announced 17 additional flights to destinations in the Middle East to meet demand during the Eid Al Fitr holidays.

More than 371,000 passengers are expected to fly with the Dubai airline between March 26 and April 6.

Residents in the Gulf are expected to get up to four days of paid leave for Eid Al Fitr, with the festival expected to start on Monday, March 31, depending on when the Shawwal moon is sighted. Eid Al Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, coincides with the start of the Shawwal, the 10th month of the Islamic calendar. The exact start date of Shawwal will be determined in the final days of the holy month.

Emirates is adding six flights to and from Amman, and another five flights between Dammam and Dubai. The airline will be running an extra four flights from Jeddah and the airline’s schedule from Kuwait will extend to another two services.

More than 80,000 daily passengers are expected to travel through Terminal 3 on March 28-29 and April 5-6. Photo: Dubai Airports
More than 80,000 daily passengers are expected to travel through Terminal 3 on March 28-29 and April 5-6. Photo: Dubai Airports

During the holidays, Emirates will also be serving a special Eid menu across all travel classes on select flights to and from Dubai. The menu will include traditional favourites chicken madhbi; prawn matfi; chicken makloubeh; mixed grills such as chicken shish taouk and lamb kofta; halwa brownie; and pistachio cake.

Last week, Emirates predicted more than 80,000 passengers a day would to travel through its dedicated Terminal 3 at Dubai International on March 28-29 and April 5-6 – the busiest dates of the Eid Al Fitr holiday.

The airline advised passengers to arrive at the airport up to three hours before departure and take note of boarding times to ensure they reach the gate on time. To speed up the check-in process, Emirates is encouraging travellers to use facilities such as online check-in and city check-in. Passengers can drop off luggage at the airport the night before travel at no charge; or check-in early and drop off their bags 24 hours before departure, or 12 hours before departure if flying to the US.

The airline said passport control and security should be cleared 90 minutes before departure and is advising passengers to reach their gate no later than an hour before their flight if booked in premium economy or economy class, and 45 minutes before if in first or business class.

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Nepotism is the name of the game

Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad. 

Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

The Africa Institute 101

Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction. 

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The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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HOW TO WATCH

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Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma

When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

'Munich: The Edge of War'

Director: Christian Schwochow

Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons

Rating: 3/5

A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro
Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books 

RESULTS

Manchester United 2

Anthony Martial 30'

Scott McTominay 90 6' 

Manchester City 0

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Analysis

Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.

The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement. 

We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment. 

 

The biog

Occupation: Key marker and auto electrician

Hometown: Ghazala, Syria

Date of arrival in Abu Dhabi: May 15, 1978

Family: 11 siblings, a wife, three sons and one daughter

Favourite place in UAE: Abu Dhabi

Favourite hobby: I like to do a mix of things, like listening to poetry for example.

Favourite Syrian artist: Sabah Fakhri, a tenor from Aleppo

Favourite food: fresh fish

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Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Premier League results

Saturday

Crystal Palace 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 2

Cardiff City 2 West Ham United 0

Huddersfield Town 0 Bournemouth 2

Leicester City 3 Fulham 1

Newcastle United 3 Everton 2

Southampton 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1

Manchester City 3 Watford 1

Sunday

Liverpool 4 Burnley 2

Chelsea 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

Arsenal 2 Manchester United 0

 

Updated: March 24, 2025, 8:38 AM`