Emirates and Qatar Airways offer special meals, announcements around fasting times for Ramadan

Airlines offer special food during the month of Ramadan. Photo / Supplied

Emirates flights will have special food on board and will make announcements about when to start and end fasting during Ramadan.

The airline says it expects during the next month to serve 1 million dates, a preferred high-energy food eaten before and after the sunrise to sunset fast and has specially crafted meals on board to coincide with iftar times - when the fast is broken.

During flights Emirates calculates the correct timings for imsak (the time to commence fasting) and iftar while in-flight.

Special equipment calculates the exact Ramadan timings using the aircraft's longitude, latitude and altitude; ensuring what the airline says is the ''greatest level of accuracy possible while on board.''

When the sun sets, passengers are informed of the iftar time by the captain.
Passengers breaking their fast on board will be offered iftar boxes with a meal consisting of couscous salad and grilled chicken or moudardara and roasted chicken, sandwiches, spinach fatayer or tomato and onion fatayer,assorted sweets, dates, laban and water.

Over 150,000 iftar boxes will be served during the holy month.

All seven Emirates lounges at Dubai International Airport will also cater to customers who are fasting. The lounges provide dedicated prayer rooms and serve Arabic coffee, dates and sweets in addition to buffet spreads for iftar and suhoor. Dates and water will also be offered at the boarding gates of select flights.

Emirates' in-flight entertainment features special religious programming in May.

Middle Eastern carriers do continue to serve alcohol during the month of Ramadan but generally more discreetly on planes and in lounges.

Doha-based Qatar Airways will also offer iftar meal boxes.

''As travelling between time zones can be challenging for the fasting traveller, Qatar Airways cabin crew will make an announcement and serve Iftar boxes at the appropriate time during the flight,'' Qatar says.