Emirates carries 7m passengers in 2015

Emirates has been serving the Middle East, GCC and North Africa since 1985 and today flies to 18 destinations within the region on 345 weekly flights from Dubai.

Emirates on Monday revealed that it had carried over 7.08 million passengers to and from the GCC, Middle East and North Africa region in 2015.

Catering to its growing customer base in the region, as well as offering international travellers a taste of Arab cuisine, entertainment and culture, Emirates offers a variety of thoughtful product and service offerings inspired by the 18 cities that it serves in the GCC, Middle East and North Africa.

Emirates offers over 100 regionally inspired dishes onboard most of its flights, not just to its 18 destinations in the GCC, Middle East and North Africa, but also to destinations across its network. Popular dishes like Chicken Machbous, Kibbeh bil Laban and an assortment of Arabic mezze regularly appear on menus. Dishes like Warak Enab have also been a mainstay with over 16,000 vine leaves being rolled each day for this popular Arabic starter to keep up with the demand.

On Emirates' approach to providing the best dining experience at 40,000 feet, Joost Heymeijer, Emirates' senior vice president of catering, said: "We continually try to take high altitude dining to a whole new level, and tapping into the authenticity of the destinations we fly to is a top priority for us. For the Gulf, Middle East and North African regions, this means sourcing local ingredients like fresh bzar spice for Chicken Machbous, for a unique onboard experience that offers a taste of home."

Emirates has been serving the Middle East, GCC and North Africa since 1985 and today flies to 18 destinations within the region on 345 weekly flights from Dubai. The airline's flagship A380 serves both Jeddah and Kuwait City, and has also flown one-off services to Riyadh, Doha and Bahrain. The airline is also committed to supporting local sports and cultural events in the region, with over 20 major sponsorships that include the Arabian Gulf League, Dubai World Cup and Stars on Board.