At Dubai’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026 trade show, Emirates launched what it describes as its first electrically powered premium economy seat, which includes a full-height adjustable privacy divider. Emirates says it signed more than 30 agreements at ATM 2026, from destination marketing deals to technology and distribution partnerships.
Over 30 agreements across several segments
“More than 30 agreements at ATM 2026: spanning tourism boards in 16 countries and a spread of organisations,” Emirates said in its own post-show recap, released on Sept. 17, 2026. “These deals focus on expanding our reach into new customer segments and communities and are part of Emirates’ strategy to make it easier than ever before to fly with us.”
These tourism authority deals “aim to turn awareness into visitor arrivals” in source markets, Emirates notes in its own wrap-up release. Among the deals, Emirates names several deals with tourism boards in Africa, Europe, Asia and the UAE as well as an agreement renewal in Madagascar. To name only some of them: the Kenya Tourism Board; ANDITUR in Mozambique, Visit Finland (building up to Emirates’ Oct. 1 Helsinki launch), Fjord Norway, Bologna Welcome, Parma Welcome and Emirates Holidays with Spain Tourism Office, Tourism Malaysia, Japan National Tourism Organisation, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation, Seychelles Tourism Board / Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority; renewal with Madagascar’s Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts and in the UAE; renewal with Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority, signature with Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority
A substantial directive about Emirates’ message at ATM is that it is not using the show purely as a forum for destination-marketing agreements—it is also using it to broaden distribution into specific verticals of travel (when a single travel company owns or controls multiple stages of the supply chain). Emirates says these are all targeted at reaching further than just traditional “leisure and corporate” travel demand to travel areas such as:
- Education travel: agreements with Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority, along with ICEF (Emirates bills itself as a preferred global airline partner for education travel).
- Medical and wellness travel: an agreement with the Medical Tourism Association, which names Emirates as a preferred airline for medical, longevity and wellness travel.
- Sports travel packaging: a partnership with Cutting Edge, packaging travel around major sports fixtures (cricket, football, motorsport, golf, tennis and more).
- Marine crew travel: agreements with Cisalpina Tours International and MSC Cruises for seafarer rotation travel and crew fare/baggage agreements.
- Tech/distribution/financial partnerships: Emirates also names agreements with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Huawei, Dubai Duty Free, Alibaba Fliggy, DERTOUR Group, Emirates Islamic and Al Etihad Payments (which will bring Jaywan to Emirates bookings), among others.
- Airline partnership: Emirates says it signed an agreement with Kuwait Airways to broaden an interline partnership to reciprocal codesharing.
Highlight of Emirates’ ATM booth: first electrically powered premium economy seat, says Emirates.
A premium economy seat with a privacy divider
The “highlight of Emirates” ATM cubicle was its first electrically powered Premium Economy seat, which it showed publicly foremost at the show, with multiple visitors sampling it.
Emirates’ pre-show release described it more specifically in a Sept. 10, 2026, statement as the new A350 fully electric Premium Economy seat featuring a full-height adjustable privacy screen, which Emirates says is an industry first—as well as preset lounge/meal position, wireless charging and USB‑C power and a 13.3-inch 4K HDR screen, among other features.
Emirates also made sure to execute a variety of other premium products that Emirates regularly bills as brand differentiators—its A380 Shower Spa, A380 Onboard Lounge, Boeing 777 ‘Game Changer’ First Class suite and its A350 Business and Economy seating.
According to Emirates, it won multiple awards at ATM, including four World Travel Awards Middle East 2026 honours (First Class, brand, First Class lounge and rewards programme). These wins appear on the World Travel Awards’ list of published Middle East winners.
Emirates also won Best Long-Haul Airline at The Independent’s inaugural Independent Travel Awards 2026, which is also reported in The Independent’s winners list.
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