Emirates Airline renews fly-cruise partnerships with AIDA and TUI Cruises

Emirates Airline has renewed its partnerships with both AIDA Cruises and TUI Cruises for the next two cruise seasons, reinforcing Dubai’s place as a major maritime tourism hub with state-of-the-art cruise terminals supported by advanced air connectivity.

The strategic alliances with AIDA Cruises and TUI Cruises were announced during the ITB Berlin, one of the largest travel trade exhibitions in Germany. AIDA Cruises and TUI are the two largest cruise lines in the country and both homeport annually in Dubai.

Through these partnerships, Emirates aims to explore joint marketing initiatives, operational alignment, and strategic planning around flight schedules to enhance transportation solutions between Dubai International Airport and the city’s two cruise ports at Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal and Port Rashid.

As part of the Carnival Corporation group, AIDA Cruises homeports at Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal alongside Costa Cruises, while TUI and MSC Cruises homeport at the Dubai Cruise Terminal in Port Rashid. 

Emirates Airline’s collaboration with AIDA and TUI will continue to focus on sharing data and insights to refine service delivery, providing dedicated support teams for cruise passengers, and ensuring a streamlined check-in process at Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal and Dubai Cruise Terminal.

The 16 Emirates check-in counters at Dubai Cruise Terminal, and 12 Emirates check-in counters at Dubai Harbour, allow passengers who are disembarking from their cruise ships to fully check-in up to 4 hours before flight departure with the convenience of exploring Dubai without their luggage before heading directly to the airport and breezing past most formalities before their flight.

The renewal of these partnerships reaffirms the long-standing commitment of AIDA Cruises to Dubai, which has been homeporting in the city since 2006, and celebrates over a decade of TUI Cruises homeporting in Dubai. 

In separate statements, both cruise lines highlighted the attractiveness of the Arabian Gulf as a winter destination, noting the moderate flight times, pleasant temperatures, abundant sunshine, and the appeal of Dubai’s state-of-the-art terminals, city attractions, and excellent airport connectivity.

“Our cooperation with Emirates will further enhance the attractiveness of this destination for our guests with tailor-made flight options,” said Felix Eichhorn, President of AIDA Cruises.

“Dubai is not only an important turnaround port,” said Wybcke Meier, CEO TUI Cruises. “The destination and the region offer what Mein Schiff guests want: a mix of metropolises that are constantly evolving, wonderful beaches and special insights into the culture.”

“With Emirates, we are working successfully with an airline that gives our guests this vacation feeling right from the start,” she added.

AIDA Cruises will homeport AIDAprima in Dubai during the upcoming 2024/25 cruise season, sailing roundtrip itineraries that call in Muscat, Doha, Sir Bani Yas, and Abu Dhabi, while TUI Cruises will expand its capacity to two ships, each carrying 2,500 passengers.

TUI Cruises will sail a roundtrip itinerary from Dubai aboard Mein Schiff 4, featuring GCC destinations like Abu Dhabi, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia as port calls, while Mein Schiff 2 will sail a series of cruises between Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Last year, Emirates transported more than 400,000 cruise passengers to Dubai, with the city welcoming over 166 ships, marking it as the region’s primary port for embarkation and a popular call for cruise ships on grand voyages and repositioning itineraries. 

With an anticipated increase of 23% more cruise passengers in the upcoming season, Dubai continues to strengthen its position as a global cruise destination and homeport.