Emirates is scheduling additional flights to Jeddah and Madinah during the Hajj season, to cater to pilgrims travelling to Makkah in Saudi Arabia.
The airline will operate 31 extra flights to Jeddah, as well as double daily flights to Madinah from June 23 to July 20. These services will run in parallel with Emirates’ regular scheduled services.
Saudi Arabia has significantly expanded Hajj participation this year to nearly one million pilgrims. Emirates is reporting strong demand for Hajj travel from Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Turkey, Egypt, Ethiopia, Malaysia, the UK, the US, the UAE and Algeria.
In order to take advantage of these new special services, passengers must be under the age of 65, hold a valid Hajj visa and hold a valid Covid-19 vaccination certificate, as well a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure.
The airline has implemented a number of measures to ensure pilgrims have a seamless journey that is aligned with the tenets of their faith. On the ground in Dubai, Emirates has a special Hajj airport team to help manage check-in and transfers, and has set up dedicated check-in and transfer counters for Hajj passengers transiting in Dubai.
On board, extra provisions have been introduced, such as ablution cleansing rituals, unperfumed towels and announcements advising passengers when they have entered Al Miqat zones (state of sanctity). On flights from Jeddah, passengers can check-in up to five litres of holy water (Zamzam), which will be placed in special areas in the cargo hold.
Meanwhile, the UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention has urged all pilgrims and the wider community to follow health instructions and precautions before and during travel. It has advised that all those travelling for Hajj make sure that they are up to date with both basic and optional vaccinations, including those safeguarding against meningitis, seasonal influenza, pneumococcal infections and Covid-19.
The ministry has encouraged pilgrims, especially those suffering from chronic diseases, to visit health centres before travelling to Saudi Arabia, where they are able to undertake free health tests, including those for diabetes and blood pressure.
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
