Emirates has agreed a new partnership with Dubai's Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) to offer students at the emirate's private higher education institutions special fares, additional baggage allowance and more flexible booking options when flying to and from Dubai across the airline's network.
The agreement was signed at Arabian Travel Market 2026 by Adnan Kazim, Emirates' Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, and Dr Wafi Dawood, CEO of Strategic Development Sector at KHDA. It is aimed squarely at students enrolled at KHDA-regulated institutions, who make up a large share of Dubai's growing higher education population.
What the deal covers
Under the arrangement, Emirates will design travel programmes specifically for these students, with perks intended to ease the cost and logistics of moving between Dubai and home countries or other study destinations. Faculty and teaching staff will also get access to travel benefits through the Emirates Academic Programme, extending the deal beyond students to the wider university and college workforce.
Students on the Hamdan bin Mohammed Scholarship Programme will receive dedicated travel support as part of the agreement, a specific commitment aimed at one of Dubai's flagship scholarship schemes.
Joint promotion of Dubai as a study destination
Beyond fares and baggage, Emirates will join Study Dubai recruitment missions and international activation events alongside KHDA, the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, and TECOM Group. The two organisations will also share data on international student travel flows and coordinate marketing efforts to promote Dubai internationally as a higher education destination.
That push connects directly to Dubai's Education 33 (E33) strategy, which aims to raise the share of international students in the emirate's higher education institutions to 50 percent by 2033. The strategy also aims to place Dubai among the world's top 10 student cities and to grow education tourism tenfold, making student travel infrastructure like this a piece of a much larger ambition for the sector.
A separate deal with ICEF
At the same event, Emirates signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Consultants for Exhibitions and Fairs (ICEF), becoming the organisation's preferred airline for education travel. ICEF operates in more than 100 countries, linking education agencies with institutions through events, training and market intelligence platforms.
Under that agreement, Emirates and ICEF will build dedicated travel offers for ICEF-accredited agencies and their student clients, with plans to look at booking support and account management for ICEF members. Emirates will also take part in ICEF Academy training programmes, share insights on student travel and destination trends, and contribute speakers to ICEF conferences.
Together, the two agreements point to Emirates positioning itself as a transport partner for Dubai's education sector at a moment when the emirate is actively trying to grow its international student base and its standing as a global study destination.
