Image credit: Emirates/Website
As the world gears up to celebrate World Chocolate Day on July 7, Emirates is already setting a sweet tone, reporting a sharp increase in onboard chocolate consumption across all cabin classes. Over the past year, passengers have indulged in more than 60 million pieces of luxury chocolate—2 million more than the previous year.
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From handcrafted pralines to gourmet dessert creations, chocolate has become an integral part of the airline’s “Fly Better” experience.
Emirates offers a wide selection of premium chocolates as part of its inflight dining service on routes to 140 destinations worldwide, the airline’s media report revealed.
Chocolate by the numbers
According to data shared by the airline ahead of the international chocolate celebration, Economy Class passengers consumed 36.6 million individual chocolates, while the newly introduced Premium Economy saw 1.06 million chocolates enjoyed by travellers.
Business Class guests indulged in 9.1 million chocolates, and First Class passengers, who are offered gourmet boxes and unlimited selections, consumed the equivalent of 13.4 million individual chocolates from 122,000 large chocolate gift boxes.
Global brands, local favorites
To maintain freshness and variety, Emirates rotates its chocolate offerings every six months. The current onboard lineup includes internationally renowned chocolatiers such as Valrhona (France), Neuhaus and Canonica (Belgium), and Dubai’s own Coco Jalila.
Each chocolate selection is curated based on a variety of criteria, including cocoa content (dark, milk, white), format (bonbons, pralines, truffles), and filling (ganache, fruit-based). Emirates also considers factors like texture, flavor profile, customer trends, and sustainable sourcing when making selections.
Inflight dessert indulgence
Beyond individual chocolates, Emirates has turned its dessert menus into a celebration of chocolate in its many forms:
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First Class travelers can enjoy desserts like warm chocolate fondant with raspberry coulis, a pistachio and chocolate mousse cake, or a vegan tart topped with apricot compote and vanilla quenelle.
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In Business Class, passengers are treated to a banana mango and milk chocolate dome, a vegan onyx avocado tart, or a mocha marquise wedge with salted caramel.
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Premium Economy options include a chocolate mousse cake with a passion fruit core, finished with strawberry sauce.
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Economy Class customers round out their meals with a classic chocolate mousse served with crème anglaise.
On longer routes, Emirates offers chocolate candy bars in snack trays and chocolate lollipops to children during festive occasions. First Class goodie baskets also include Lindt 85 per cent dark chocolate, while the A380 Onboard Lounge features self-serve chocolate items, including mini treats, chocolate cake, and M&Ms.
Chocolate at the Emirates Lounges
The chocolate celebration isn’t confined to the cabin. Emirates’ premium lounges in Dubai International Airport feature an array of chocolate-themed offerings:
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Signature Costa Coffee hot chocolate
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Homemade Emirates chocolate ice cream
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MasterChef-crafted desserts exclusive to Emirates lounges
In the First Class Lounge, passengers can indulge in:
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Sacher cake (Austrian chocolate torte filled with apricot jam)
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Chocolate and pistachio kunafa
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White chocolate ganache cake with strawberry and hibiscus
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The standout Marveille cake featuring hazelnut praline, mousse, and crunchy meringue, topped with fleur de sel
In the Business Class Lounge, travellers enjoy:
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A chocolate chou—airy pastry filled with chocolate crème pâtissier
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A hazelnut crunchie made of mousse, sponge, and praline layers
For those seeking plant-based options, Emirates also offers a rich, vegan chocolate brownie made with dairy-free chocolate chips and cocoa.
Dubai: Growing hub for chocolate culture
The spike in chocolate consumption onboard reflects not only Emirates’ dedication to luxury service but also Dubai’s rising profile as a chocolate and culinary destination. With local brands like Coco Jalila gaining international recognition, the city is carving out a niche in the world of gourmet confections.
As World Chocolate Day approaches, Emirates is already celebrating in its own way—one sweet bite at a time, 35,000 feet in the sky and beyond.
