Emirates marks 30 years in Australia with anniversary dishes on flights and in lounges

Emirates is marking 30 years of service to Australia with dishes inspired by the country, served on flights and in its Australian lounges. Its October 14, 2026, announcement describes different menus by cabin and direction of travel.

The food is the immediate passenger-facing part of a wider anniversary release. Emirates says it now operates 70 weekly services across five Australian gateways and offers more than 5,000 weekly Premium Economy seats on its Australia–Dubai operation.

The menus depend on the cabin and direction

According to the airline's announcement, First and Business passengers departing Australia for Dubai will be offered a seafood salad with Moreton Bay bug, prawn and crabmeat, followed by lamb cutlets and a meringue dessert.

In the other direction, the premium-cabin menus differ. The release lists Spanner crab, lamb chops and a pavlova dessert for First. Business receives Tasmanian smoked salmon, lamb cutlets and its own pavlova variation.

Premium Economy and Economy passengers are included too. Emirates describes a freekeh and smoked salmon salad, chicken schnitzel with accompaniments, and lamington for dessert.

The release does not give a precise start and end date for every dish or a flight-by-flight menu. Check the menu for the booked service, particularly if a specific meal is important to you.

Four lounge locations get their own dishes

Emirates names its lounges in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane for the anniversary lounge selection.

The lounge dishes include Australian king prawns, mushroom carpaccio, barramundi with a seafood stew and Black Angus beef cheek. Desserts include a deconstructed pavlova with berries and Davidson plum, as well as chocolate ganache.

The airline's five Australian gateways and four named lounges are different lists. The release does not announce a new Emirates lounge in Adelaide.

A special menu also does not change who can enter. Check the room's current eligibility and guest conditions rather than assuming that a ticket on an anniversary flight includes a lounge visit.

What the network figures cover

Emirates says its Australian operation began with Melbourne in June 1996, followed by Sydney in 2000, Perth in 2002, Brisbane in 2003 and Adelaide in 2012.

Its current 70-weekly-service figure covers those five gateways together. The airline says 56 of those weekly Australia–Dubai services have its latest products and refreshed cabins. That still leaves a reason to inspect the configuration on an individual booking.

The release describes more than 40 million passengers carried between Australia and the world over the partnership's history. It separately reports 2.6 million passengers on Australian routes in its 2024–25 financial year. The historical and annual figures should not be confused.

Plan the airport visit and the seat

For departure details, use the airport guides for Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. Match the lounge to the international terminal and leave enough time for boarding.

A meal announcement can make a familiar route more appealing, but it does not establish a particular seat or aircraft on every flight. Check Premium Economy availability and the exact cabin before paying for an upgrade.

If connecting in Dubai, the directory includes the Emirates Business Class Lounge in Concourse B and First Class Lounge in Concourse A. Eligibility depends on the applicable ticket and membership rules.

The anniversary brings a broad menu refresh with a clear Australian theme. The useful booking decisions remain specific: which flight, which cabin, what is being served on that date and which lounge your itinerary allows you to use.