Emirates serves up the Australian Open onboard

Passengers travelling with Emirates in January will be able to catch the Australian Open live onboard the aircraft. Whether jetting from Australia to Dubai or beyond across the globe, just look for the Sport24 channel on the inflight entertainment. It’s available on the airline’s Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 flights.

In fact, if you’re on the Airbus A380, Business Class or First Class is the place to be. That’s because the superjumbo is home to an onboard lounge at the rear of the upper deck. And during the Australian Open, the lounge’s large TV screen will be tuned in to the tennis as well. Emirates also plans to screen matches in its airport lounges.

Emirates’ Australian Open partnership

Australian Open 2024 marks Emirates’ 10th year as a major sponsor of the event. Along with providing flights to many of the players, the airline is also supporting themed days at the tennis.

On 13 January 2024, children can come along to Kids Tennis Day at the AO Ballpark. there’ll be a range of games and activities to engage with. These include a themed art wall, Emirates quiz boards and the Emirates Cloud Catcher game.

A few days later on 16 January, it’ll be ‘Emirates Day’ at the Australian Open. Members of the public can take selfies with Emirates’ cabin crew, including polaroid snaps – an amenity Emirates also offers in the air to mark special occasions.

Emirates’ involvement in the Australian Open continues to be a source of immense pride for the airline and showcases our commitment to Australia’s rich sporting culture. In lock step with our steadfast support of Australia, continuing our sponsorship for a tenth year reflects the deep-rooted connection Emirates has built over our 26 years of service to the country.

Through our sponsorship of the Australian Open 2024 we’ll be supporting the incredible tennis players that travel across the world to participate in this iconic sporting event and also connect Australians and people worldwide through the shared love of tennis.

– Barry Brown, Emirates’ Divisional Vice President of Australasia, December 2023

Emirates’ hospitality suite

For a select few, Emirates also runs a private suite at the Australian Open. It’s a true ‘money can’t buy’ experience, generally the domain of celebrities and other invited guests. It’s also one of the ways that Emirates can reward and recognise its iO members. That is, travellers who reach Emirates’ invitation-only frequent flyer tier, aptly of the same initials.

At Australian Open 2024, the suite itself will draw design inspiration from the airline’s Airbus A380 aircraft. It’ll also include a replica of Emirates’ Airbus A380 onboard lounge for those obligatory selfies.

Much like the airline’s onboard menus, dining options for VIPs will span Australian, Asian, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and northern European dishes. Emirates is also a major sponsor of Collingwood Football Club, Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, among the airline’s many other partnerships.

Also read: Emirates’ Skywards boss talks upgrades, elite perks, status matching and more with Point Hacks

Feature image courtesy of Emirates. Chris Chamberlin travelled to Melbourne for the Australian Open launch event as a guest of Emirates.