If you’re dreaming of your next holiday, then there are several exciting travel updates you need to know about.
The Dubai Airshow, one of the largest of its kind in the world, is back for 2025 and has brought several game-changing announcements that could have a big impact on your upcoming travel plans.
Held between Monday November 17 and Friday November 21 at Al Maktoum International Airport, the event showcases the latest tech in aviation and provides the stage for important travel news.
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DXB-based airlines Emirates and flydubai have rolled out plans that could significantly improve your next flight. And we’ve also found out exciting info related to the introduction of flying taxis in Dubai.
4 major Dubai Airshow announcements
1) Emirates to roll out free Starlink Wi-Fi for all passengers
(Credit: Emirates)
Announced on Monday November 17, the world’s largest international airline will roll out a free super-fast Wi-Fi service on board its entire in-service fleet.
Emirates has teamed up with Elon Musk’s Starlink to provide complimentary ground-quality internet at cruising altitude to all passengers by mid-2027.
The airline will install two antennae on each Boeing 777 aircraft, and three antennae on each Airbus A380, ensuring the highest levels of connectivity, capacity and coverage across every cabin class.
Emirates will also make Live TV over Starlink available, initially on personal devices and then on seatback screens from late December 2025.
Approximately 14 aircraft per month will be fitted out with Starlink, with installation on the Airbus A380 fleet commencing in February 2026.
Anyone interested in seeing how it works can check it out on the Boeing 777-300ER at the Dubai Airshow until Friday November 21.
2) Exact Dubai flying taxi locations revealed
(Credit: Dubai Media Office)
Ahead of the Dubai Airshow, the Roads and Transport Authority of Dubai revealed that the first vertiport – which enables flying taxis to take-off and land – is now 60 percent complete.
Expected to launch in 2026, the flying taxis will take off and land initially from four vertiports across Dubai.
While we already knew that the flying taxis would be available at Downtown Dubai, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Marina and DXB, we did not know the exact locations until now.
In Downtown Dubai, a vertiport operated by Emaar Properties will be at the Zabeel Dubai Mall parking area.
The world-famous Atlantis The Royal hotel will be the location of the Palm Jumeirah vertiport.
And the third vertiport will be developed at Dubai Marina, within the American University in Dubai parking area, managed by Wasl Asset Management Group.
The one located at DXB is 60 percent complete as of Sunday November 16.
3) flydubai upgrades bookings, ticketing and check-in services
flydubai (Credit: flydubai)
DXB-based airline flydubai has rolled out a new Modern Airline Retailing platform.
Announced ahead of the 2025 Dubai Airshow, the airline’s platform for bookings, ticketing and check-in has been completely rebuilt.
The upgrade should enable flydubai to work faster, more efficiently and with greater flexibility to meet the needs of its passengers.
According to the airline, the new platform operates faster, with a 40 percent improvement in transaction performance and 45 percent faster data processing.
4) Emirates orders 65 new Boeing 777X aircraft
(Credit: Emirates)
Emirates has announced that it has ordered 65 additional Boeing 777-9 aircraft, as part of its major expansion plans.
New widebody aircraft, capable of seating more passengers than smaller aircraft, are often used when flying to long-haul destinations, so it looks like there could be even more exciting routes added to the airline’s network in the future.
This takes the airline’s total orderbook with Boeing to 315 widebody aircraft, comprising 270 Boeing 777Xs, 10 Boeing 777 freighters, and 35 Boeing 787s.
While the announcement is an exciting one, travellers will need to be patient as the aircraft aren’t expected to be delivered until 2038.
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