Emirates Lounges and Flights – Moët Champagne and more!

RASHED ALFAJEER is Emirates’ Country Manager for Singapore and Brunei. We ask him about the menu items and champagne offerings in Emirates lounges – including a new Moët & Chandon Champagne Lounge – and onboard its flights.

Let’s start with the all-important glass of bubbles that we love to indulge in when travelling. How do you choose the champagnes you serve?

Champagne selection for Emirates is a meticulous, multi‑year process shaped by long‑standing partnerships with the world’s most celebrated maisons. Our relationship with LVMH-Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton spans more than three decades. It allows us access to some of the finest blends and vintages available globally, making Emirates the only airline offering exclusivity across eight distinguished champagnes.

What else is important in the champagnes you choose?

Beyond brand heritage, we consider the unique flavour profile and ageing potential of each vintage, its seasonal availability and, most importantly, how well each champagne complements the culinary programme crafted by our chefs. This collaboration comes to life inside the Moët & Chandon Champagne Lounge, located within our Concourse B Business Class lounge at Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 3. Developed over several months by Emirates master chefs and Moët & Chandon specialists, the lounge features a dedicated champagne‑and‑canapés pairing menu designed to showcase the depth and nuance of four of Moët & Chandon’s finest expressions: Impérial, Rosé Impérial, Nectar Impérial and Grand Vintage 2013.

What do you aim for with the menus in Emirates lounges?

Dishes in our lounges, particularly at our Moët & Chandon Champagne Lounge, are made using minimalist, high‑impact ingredients that allow flavours to shine without overwhelming the palate. This creates a sense of comfort while maintaining the refinement that Emirates is known for. Guests can expect everything from fresh seafood starters to decadent foie gras canapés, to breakfast favourites and seasonal desserts.

We know our guests are travelling from all four corners of the globe, and across different time zones – so there’s always something tempting, nutritious and satisfying to choose, to suit their preferences.

How do you balance international and local tastes when creating menus for the diverse Emirates clientele?

We draw inspiration from every region we serve. While our culinary philosophy is grounded in showcasing global flavours with premium, thoughtfully sourced ingredients, we also strive to reflect the culture and traditions of the destinations we serve. For example, in Singapore and across key Asian routes, Emirates marks Lunar New Year with a specially curated selection of festive dishes and desserts that honour the season’s culinary traditions. This year, travellers departing through our Singapore lounge at Changi Airport Terminal 1 were treated to limited‑time creations such as the Prosperity Chicken Roll and the Golden Blossom Raspberry Cake.

Across flights connecting Singapore, China, Hong Kong SAR, Taiwan and Malaysia, guests enjoyed delicacies such as lychee and rose mousse cake with pâte sablée, and taro coconut sago with sweetened fruits and red beans. This extended to our global lounges, including Dubai, where seasonal Asian dishes like Cheung Fun rolls, poached shrimp dumplings and pan‑seared Chilean sea bass with XO sauce were served alongside themed beverages and desserts. This is a prime example of how we weave regional authenticity into our menus, ensuring our travellers feel recognised and connected, no matter where their journey begins or ends.

How often do your menus change, and what inspires those updates?

Our inflight dishes change monthly and are on a four-month rotation, so even frequent flyers will never be bored.

Menus are constantly evolving to reflect changing traveller preferences, seasonal ingredients and emerging culinary trends from around the world. Inspiration comes from a variety of sources, from wellness-focused eating habits to regional favourites and cultural celebrations across our network. We also regularly review customer feedback and insights from our culinary teams to understand what resonates most with guests.

Do your chefs and beverage experts work together on pairings?

Yes, our master chefs and Moët & Chandon champagne experts spend months co‑developing tasting menus both in the Emirates lounges and onboard. This includes aligning flavour profiles, balancing acidity with richness, and even matching visual plating cues to the nuanced notes of each champagne.

The result is a harmonised culinary journey. Our lounge teams are trained in the art of hospitality and can recommend wines that complement dishes, or let a customer know about our latest healthy smoothie, or even which Dilmah tea could best aid digestion and sleep.

What do you hope guests – especially expats who travel often – feel when they spend time in an Emirates lounge?

We want our lounges to feel like sanctuaries, with spaces designed to evoke a sense of homecoming and comfort. Above all, we hope their time in the lounge creates a moment of peace before the next chapter of their journey, whether that’s a business trip, a family visit, or a long‑awaited holiday.

Eight great drops served by Emirates

• Dom Pérignon Vintage 2015
• Dom Pérignon Vintage Rosé 2009
• Dom Pérignon Plénitude 2 2006
• Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial
• Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial
• Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Blanc 2016
• Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label
• Veuve Clicquot Vintage Blanc 2015

The airline also offers Australian sparkling wine Chandon Vintage Brut 2019 onboard as a global exclusive to customers in Premium Economy

Emirates meals: the numbers

Emirates serves more than 77 million meals every year, making it “the world’s largest flying restaurant”. It caters for almost 500 flights daily – which is well over 200,000 meals a day, through Emirates Flight Catering and partner caterers across the world. Preparations involve 1,400 chefs and a library of more than 35,000 recipes, with meals served by 25,000 cabin crew!

Find out more at emirates.com.

This article first appeared in the October 2026 issue of Expat Living magazine. You can buy the latest issue or an annual subscription, or read the digital version for free now.