Emirates introduces retrofitted Boeing 777 to Madrid
- A refurbished First-Class cabin with upgraded interiors offering unparalleled luxury.
- New Business Class cabin that provides more privacy and comfort for customers with fully lie-flat seats in an updated 1-2-1 seating configuration. - Latest Premium Economy cabin which combines accessible luxury with comfort; offering cream leather seats, increased legroom, adjustable headrests, deeper seat recline and raised cushioned leg rests. - Spacious Economy Class seats with new design elements. Serving 'fly better' experiences Emirates continues to invest in elevating the travel experience through its ambitious multibillion-dollar retrofit program — one of the largest in aviation history. With 61 aircraft already refurbished, including 31 A380s and 30 Boeing 777s, the program is set to upgrade over 220 aircraft with Emirates' latest cabin products.
Passengers travelling with Emirates will enjoy the airline's regionally inspired gourmet meals, premium beverage selection, and award-winning inflight entertainment on ice with up to 6,500 channels of on-demand entertainment - including more than 260 channels of Spanish content.
Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
7 hours ago
- The National
Gulf Connections: The hills are alive with the sound of Arabic
Set in the Austrian Alps, the resort town of Zell Am See could have been plucked from The Sound of Music. Against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains, picturesque traditional buildings lead down to the clear blue waters of Lake Zell. In winter it attracts skiers from all over the world. In summer, bringing in the visitors needs a different approach. And that's when, more than 20 years ago, the Zell Am See tourist board hit upon a brilliant idea. Placing adverts in GCC countries, from Kuwait to Oman, the region soon began attracting Arab visitors in their tens of thousands, anxious to escape the punishing heat of an Arabian Gulf summer for the cool of the Alps. Rainy attraction The campaign succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Even cloudy weather and rain was an additional attraction. In 2006, the head of the local tourist board, Hans Wallner, speculated that 'for Arab tourists, I guess that water in various kinds – frozen as snow at the Kitzsteinhorn glacier and the high-quality water in Lake Zell are the main attractions'. By then, Arab visitors to the area represented about 10 per cent of the total − about 80,000 tourists. Two years later, it was 15 per cent and by 2013, over a third. They also spent, on average, €490 a day, compared with €160 a day by European tourists. Before the pandemic hit in 2020, it was estimated around 350,000 visitors from GCC countries were visiting Zell Am See during July and August. Post-covid anecdotal evidence suggests the area is as busy as ever. Arab Muslim visitors enjoy walking trails, boat trips and the chance to experience real snow by taking the mountain lifts, and local businesses have been quick to respond to their needs. Hotels cleared out the mini bar to offer alcohol-free rooms, while restaurants such as Ali Baba, Shiraz and Al Khalij offer Arab menus that are halal. Several shops also began offering products that appealed directly to Arab tastes. The Aydin Supermarket sells sweet treats like dates, halva and mamoul, along with spices, hummus and 'a wide selection of halal food'. More than a dozen stores and grocers in the town and in neighbouring Kaprun now cater for tourists from the Middle East. 'Tourism apartheid' Success also brings problems, though. Far-right political movements began to stir again in Austria, prompted in part by refugees from Iraq and Syria's civil wars. There were mutterings that Zell Am See was losing its Austrian character amid the huge number of Arab visitors. In 2014, the regional authorities, including the police and tourist board, issued a well-intentioned but heavy-handed booklet intended to help Middle East tourists better integrate with Austrian culture. Visitors were asked not eat meals on the floor, not haggle in shops and make sure their children wore car seatbelts. Most controversial it attempted to address women's clothing, saying: ' In our culture, we are accustomed to looking into the smiling face of the person opposite us in order to gain a first impression and build mutual trust. "It would be a great pleasure for us if you could join us in celebrating the uniquely joyful Austrian mentality and show your colourful scarves and dress and, in this way, show us your smile.' Described by one newspaper as 'tourism apartheid', it was withdrawn after only a few weeks, with officials admitting "unfortunately, certain passages led to misunderstandings'. More seriously, in 2017, the country passed a law banning full face coverings such as the burqa and niqab in public places. Aimed at conservative Muslim women, the law could not single them out specifically to avoid discrimination. Enforcement soon descended into chaos. Fines or warnings were issued to costumed mascots including a man dressed as shark promoting an electronics store, skiers and cyclists with scarves wrapped around their faces as protection against pollution. For Zell Am See and its Arab visitors the implications of the new law were potentially more serious. Fortunately for all, it appears the resort is quietly ignoring the rules; pragmatism outweighing politics. As Monika Oberschneider, who works in a sports shop renting snow boots to ill-prepared Gulf visitors, told an Austrian TV station last year: 'Every guest who comes pays our wages.'
Zawya
a day ago
- Zawya
Gold drops as dollar firms, trade deal hopes sap safe-haven demand
Gold prices slipped on Friday, weighed down by a stronger U.S. dollar and signs of progress in U.S.-EU trade negotiations that dented safe-haven demand. Spot gold fell 0.7% at $3,343.69 per ounce by 9:31 a.m. ET (1331 GMT). U.S. gold futures fell 0.8% to $3,345.20. The U.S. dollar index rebounded from a more-than-two-week low, making bullion more expensive for overseas buyers, while benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yields rose. "The Japan deal was significant, and there's hope for a U.S.-EU agreement before the August 1 deadline. That's sapping safe-haven demand as elevated risk appetite drives capital toward risk assets," said Peter Grant, vice president and senior metals strategist at Zaner Metals. Following this week's U.S.-Japan trade deal, the European Commission said a trade deal with the U.S. is within reach, even as EU members approved counter-tariffs on U.S. goods in case talks fail. On the data front, U.S. jobless claims fell to a three-month low, signaling a stable labor market despite sluggish hiring. Stable labor market data is expected to give the Federal Reserve cover to hold rates steady at 4.25%-4.50% at its meeting next week, even as inflation shows signs of picking up due to U.S. President Donald Trump's import tariffs. Trump's surprise visit to the central bank marked a fresh attempt to pressure Chair Jerome Powell, with the President again urging a deep rate cut. Gold may attract some "buying interest probably at $3,300 level, but perhaps not breaking out to new all-time highs until after the Fed decision," Grant said, adding that the meeting could signal rate cuts later this year. Gold typically performs well during periods of uncertainty and in low-interest-rate environments. Spot silver fell 0.4% to $38.91 per ounce, but was still on track for a weekly gain of about 2%. Platinum was 1.6% lower at $1,385.20, while palladium rose 0.2% at $1,229.94.
Zawya
a day ago
- Zawya
Meta to halt political advertising in EU from October, blames EU rules
Meta Platforms will end political, electoral, social issue advertising on its platform in the European Union in early October because of the legal uncertainties due to EU rules targeting political advertising, the U.S. social media company said on Friday. Meta's announcement echoed Alphabet unit Google's decision announced last November, underscoring Big Tech's pushback against EU rules aimed at reining in their power and making sure that they are more accountable and transparent. The European Union legislation, called the Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulation and which will apply from Oct. 10, was triggered by concerns about disinformation and foreign interference in elections across the 27-country bloc. The EU law requires Big Tech companies to clearly label political advertising on their platforms, who paid for it and how much as well as which elections are being targeted or risk fines up to 6% of their annual turnover. "From early October 2025, we will no longer allow political, electoral and social issue ads on our platforms in the EU," Meta said in a blog post. "This is a difficult decision - one we've taken in response to the EU's incoming Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulation, which introduces significant operational challenges and legal uncertainties," it said. Meta said TTPA obligations create what it said is an untenable level of complexity and legal uncertainty for advertisers and platforms operating in the EU. It said the EU rules will ultimately hurt Europeans. "We believe that personalised ads are critical to a wide range of advertisers, including those engaged on campaigns to inform voters about important social issues that shape public discourse," Meta said. "Regulations, like the TTPA, significantly undermine our ability to offer these services, not only impacting effectiveness of advertisers' outreach but also the ability of voters to access comprehensive information," the company added.
