As global interest peaks in ‘Veganuary’ – an initiative that has highlighted the benefits of a vegan diet for the last decade – Emirates has noted a surge of 40% in customer demand for plant-based meals. To meet this demand in 2024, Emirates will introduce an array of new vegan dishes onboard and in lounges, adding more dishes to its ‘vegan vault’ of more than 300 curated plant-based recipes.
In 2023, Emirates had more than 300 vegan recipes in rotation across 140 destinations, up from 180 recipes in 2022. It also served more than 450,000 plant-based meals onboard, an increase from 280,000 plant-based meals served the previous year. Vegan meal consumption has grown 40% year-on-year in line with passenger volumes, but in some regions, consumption has exceeded passenger volume growth – such as Africa with an additional 4% increase, Southeast Asia with an additional 5% increase, and the Middle East showing a significant additional increase of 34%.
The biggest increase in consumption of vegan meals occurred in Economy Class. Significant increases were noted specifically on Emirates routes to China, Japan and Philippines.
Vegan options are available to pre-order onboard and order directly in First Class, as well as in Emirates Lounges. Customers can request vegan meals on all Emirates flights and across all classes of travel up to 24 hours before departure.
