Why UAE's Emirates flew a man solo from India to Dubai & what the airline did

Meet Bhavesh Javeri from Dubai, who hit the headlines on Wednesday for being the only passenger on an Emirates flight from Mumbai to Dubai.

A Dubai resident for 20 years, Javeri's video of his experience of being a solo passenger on EK501 has gone viral on social media. 

"As soon as I entered the airport, I realised I was the only one in the flight. It was a unique feeling and experience which money can't buy. I was quite excited and then I decided to make a short video and shared it on my personal social media accounts like Facebook and Instagram. 

From there it got picked up and went viral on WhatsApp,” Javeri, a UAE Golden Visa residency holder, told Khaleej Times in an interview on Wednesday. 

The UAE has put in place a ban on passengers from India starting April 24 but certain categories of passengers are allowed to fly into the UAE, such as members of diplomatic missions, golden visa holders, UAE nationals and passengers exempted and/or granted permission to enter by the authorities. 

The ban has been extended until at least June 14, Emirates said in a statement earlier this week. 

"Today, I am special because I am the only passenger on an Emirates flight to Dubai from Mumbai," Javeri said in the video. He was warmly received by the Emirates' cabin crew as all the air hostesses clapped to welcome him aboard. Javeri was also escorted to the plane by the crew. Javeri, a diamond trader and CEO of DMCC-based Stargems BVBA, paid around Dh980 for the ticket. He was allocated 18A seat in the Boeing 777 flight which has a capacity to carry over 350 passengers. 

 

"I was very excited when I entered the plane at 4.30am. But when the flight took off I just crashed and fell asleep. 

I woke up when the plane landed at the Dubai airport. I had planned to walk around the flight but I was too exhausted. But the welcoming was warm enough," Javeri told this newspaper. 

"When I was talking to the crew, the pilot also came out to say ‘hello’. It's a big thank you to the crew, pilot and Emirates for making this happen. It was a lifetime experience which money can't buy,” said Javeri.

"When I came to Dubai in 2001, I had nothing. I was a salesman in a jewellery store with Dh1,600 salary. We started a company in 2004 and from then onwards it has been a one-way upward journey. Now, we are an international company with a turnover of over $650 million (Dh2.4 billion) in 2020," he said. 

A Dubai resident for 20 years, Javeri's video of his experience of being a solo passenger on EK501 has gone viral on social media.