With a global network of more than 130 destinations, Emirates probably has a special event or festival happening every week. The airline makes a point of joining in many of those celebrations by adding special meals or treats on its flights to those ports, and in September that will include the celebration of India’s Kerala harvest season.

Onashamsakal from Emirates

The harvest festival of Onam is celebrated by the Hindus of Kerala, a state on the southwest coast of India, and Emirates has services from Dubai to Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. On Friday, the airline announced it was joining in the fun by offering a variety of delicious treats and entertaining Malayalam movies on flights to and from these two cities.

Emirates Boeing 777 Taking Off

Photo: Boeing

Emirates said it is wishing guests Onashamsakal (Happy Onam), celebrating the festival with the distinctive flavors of Onam until September 16. Emirates operates 14 weekly flights from Dubai International Airport to Kochi and seven weekly flights to Thiruvananthapuram. The specially curated menus, available in all cabin classes, will give travelers a “taste of home.”

Emirates operates Boeing 777s on both routes and with flight times of around four hours, there is enough time for an authentic Kerala meal and a couple of Malayalam movies onboard the wideboy jet. The most recent service of flight EK522 departed Dubai International (DXB) at 21:45 on Saturday and, after a 3:44-hour flight, landed at Trivandrum International Airport (TRV) at 02:59 on Sunday. The Boeing 777-300ER departed TRV 2:36 hours late at 07:11 and landed in Dubai at 09:05.

Emirates Dubai - Thiruvananthapuram flight map

The 777 has recently operated services from the United Arab Emirates to destinations including Miami (MIA), Bogota (BOG), Karachi (KHI), Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Boston (BOS) and Kuwait City (KWI). Emirates has more than 260 aircraft, including 118 Airbus A380s, 10 Boeing 777-200LRs, 122 777-300ERs and 12 777-200F freighters.

What can guests expect?

To start the feast, Emirates will offer traditional appetizers of sharkara upperi – banana roasted in sweet jaggery, kaya varuthathu – crisp banana chips, and kondattam mulaku – fried sundried chillies steeped in yoghurt. Tasty Onam dips include kaalan made of coconut, fresh yoghurt and yam, cucumber pachadi and puli inji, while first and business customers will enjoy pappadams and piquant mango pickle.

Emirates Kerala Onam curated menu

Photo: Emirates

Main courses include kozhi curry or vegetarian sadhya, spiced chicken sukha – pan-fried chicken with coconut and spices, steamed rice, carrot, pea thoran and vegetable kootu, mutton sukha with chemba rice, erissery and bean thoran. First-class passengers can also select the tasty option of mutton pepper fry.

Emirates said the desserts are equally authentic, with options including palada pradhaman – creamy rice pudding served with roasted pistachios, raisins, and cashew nuts, or parippu payasam – the ever-popular sweet lentil pudding topped with roasted coconut flakes.

Emirates Boeing 777 Taking Off

Photo: Boeing

Adding to the Onam feel of the flights, all meals will be served on banana leaf dish liners to offer an authentic feel to the sadhya for Keralites. Passengers can tune into more than 6,500 entertainment channels, with more than 2,000 movies, 650 TV shows and 17 Malayalam movies, including RDX: Robert Dony Xavier, Kannur Squad and many more.

Emirates celebrates many festivals and is passionate about delighting customers with specially designed regional and seasonal menus. These include Onam, Diwali, Eid, Chinese New Year, Christmas, Easter and Oktoberfest, recognizing the airline’s global network and bringing something extra for passengers on these special occasions.

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