Well, this is a shame! Eagle-eyed readers noticed Sheikh Hamdan’s boarding pass was for seat 3F – and Emirates’ Boeing 777-300’s only have two rows of First Class. In fact, Sheikh Hamdan didn’t actually travel to London yesterday but was simply touring Dubai International Airport. But perhaps we’ll see him on a commercial Emirates flight sometime soon
The Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed is used to jetting off around the world on one his private Boeing 747-400’s operated by the Dubai Royal Air Wing but on Monday Sheikh Hamdan made a rare trip as a passenger onboard a commercial Emirates flight to London Heathrow… Naturally, he travelled in First Class.
The Crown Prince, affectionately known as Fazza, took to social media to post a picture of the boarding pass on his Instagram story for the 7.45 am flight to London. Fazza didn’t say what he would be doing in the United Kingdom but Dubai’s ruling family own a number of properties in and around the British capital.
By choosing to fly when he did the Crown Prince avoided being slapped with a mandatory 14-day home quarantine order which will take effect in the UK from June 8.
Before his flight, Sheikh Hamdan held a meeting of the Dubai Executive Council in Dubai International Airport (DXB) where they discussed plans to help Emirates recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and rebuild tourism in Dubai. During the meeting, the Sheikh described DXB as the “beating heart of the world with Emirates Airlines as the artery”.
“Dubai has cemented its position as a business and tourism destination that links the world. It has and will always be a tourism destination and the beating heart of the economy, as it faced a major global crisis and demonstrated once again its ability to over overcome it with a stunning model to emulate,” he continued.
“Today, we are ready and we announce to the world that life continues, and (the word) ‘impossible; is not in our dictionary”.
In March, Sheikh Hamdan said Dubai was committed to supporting the government-owned airline and helping it weather the COVID-19 storm. At the time, his spokesperson said further details of what kind of help Emirates should expect to receive would follow at a later time. Specifics of a government bailout have yet to be revealed.
The Dubai Royal Air Wing has a mixed fleet of aircraft for the use of Dubai’s ruling family and other government officials. During the summer months when the heat in Dubai becomes unbearable the planes, including two Boeing 747’s, are regular sights parked up in airports across Europe, most notably London Heathrow.
