Aviation

Emirates celebrates holiday season with special Christmas treats

Dubai, UAE, 10 Dec 2017 – Emirates is spreading the festive joy with treats across all cabin classes this December. Customers travelling for the holidays will enjoy several Christmas specials both on the ground and on board from food to entertainment.

Festive menus are back

In addition to the regionally inspired cuisine served on board, Emirates is bringing back its Christmas menu with a more extensive offering of holiday favourites. Emirates’ seasonal menus are a key component of its dining offering and the Christmas menu is one of the main highlights.

The festive meals are available throughout December for customers travelling from Dubai to Australia, Europe, the United States or the United Kingdom and those travelling from the UK to Dubai.

Customers travelling in Economy Class can enjoy rolled turkey buffé served with cranberry jus lié, mashed potatoes, Vienna chicken sausages and seasonal vegetables. For desserts, customers will be served festive sweets such as a lemon cranberry cake with cream cheese frosting or a cocoa cake with white chocolate chips and raspberry coulis.

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Those travelling in First and Business Class will start with king prawns marinated with lemon and herb and served with cocktail sauce and a fennel salad, and enjoy a main course of rolled turkey buffé served with chestnut and apricot stuffing, cranberry jus lié, pumpkin mash and creamy brussels sprouts with turkey bacon. A variety of desserts is available on the different routes including Ginger bread roulade, Chocolate Mint dome and Yule log.

As a special treat, First Class customers, can look out for Santa-inspired macaroons and hot chocolate served with marshmallows and gingerbread. Young fliers in First Class will be surprised with snowman-inspired marshmallow biscuits.

Holiday gifts for all

Emirates is also making sure customers’ Christmas stockings are filled with special goodies. Across all classes, newly designed amenity kits are being introduced for December.

A new range of Bulgari amenity kits are being rolled out in First and Business Class. There are 16 brand new designs for men and women which can be re-used to keep electronics or make-up. The laser-cut pattern is inspired by Bulgari’s design archives with a touch of Middle Eastern influence inspired by Dubai, Emirates’ hub. The exclusive designer kit bags include new signature Bulgari fragrances and lotions, along with other pampering essentials. The latest kits feature Bulgari’s White Tea fragrance and are available on long-haul night flights and on flights over 10 hours.

Special treats for young flyers

Young flyers are given special attention when travelling on Emirates. Kids will enjoy a specially created festive menu with roast turkey, sweet potato mash, carrots and peas, as well as a moist chocolate brownie with cream cheese frosting and a white chocolate lollipop.

Christmas classics on ice

To get travellers into the spirit of the holidays, Emirates’ award-winning inflight entertainment system, ice, will feature Christmas classics for the month of December. These include movies such as It’s a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, Home Alone and Scrooged, as well as TV specials including The Office and Family Guy Christmas shows. Customers can enjoy over 2,500 channels of entertainment including Christmas number 1s music playlist for the first time this year and dedicated kids’ TV channels. Special programmes for kids include The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom and The Snowman.

Emirates offers customers across all classes 20MB of free Wi-Fi data to keep connected with friends and family, and Emirates Skywards members enjoy special benefits depending on membership tier and class of travel.

Aviation

Egypt has signed an agreement with China to purchase J-10C fighter jets

Egypt has become the second country, after Pakistan, to order China’s Chengdu J-10C “Vigorous Dragon” fighter jets, marking a significant shift in its military strategy.

The announcement, made during the inaugural Egypt International Air Show from September 3 to 5 at El Alamein International Airport, reveals Egypt’s intent to replace its aging fleet of U.S. F-16s.

The J-10C, a highly capable 4.5-generation multi-role fighter jet, was showcased by China for the first time on African soil during the air show. It features advanced air-to-air and air-to-ground weaponry, making it a formidable alternative to Egypt’s current fleet.

Known for its air superiority missions, the J-10C has often been compared to the American F-16, which has been the backbone of the Egyptian Air Force since the 1980s.

However, with Egypt’s F-16s now considered outdated against modern air defense systems, the decision to transition to the Chinese fighters underscores a major upgrade in Egypt’s combat capabilities.

This move not only signals Egypt’s intent to reduce its reliance on U.S. defense systems but also reflects a broader shift in its international alliances.

Despite a long-standing defense relationship with the U.S., evidenced by a recent acquisition of C-130J Hercules transport aircraft through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program, Egypt is clearly looking eastward.

The decision comes amid growing concerns over U.S. policies in the Middle East, including its stance on Israeli operations in Gaza, which may have influenced Cairo’s pivot to Chinese military technology.

China’s increasing presence in the Middle East and North Africa is bolstered by such deals, as Beijing continues to expand its influence through military cooperation and economic partnerships, particularly in energy imports.

The Egypt International Air Show provided a platform for showcasing this growing military-industrial relationship.