Now, there’s more to Emirates’ ‘Fly better’ promise. The largest airline in the Middle East – and the world’s fourth largest – has rolled out a pre-approved visa on arrival facility for Indian passport holders who book their travel with Emirates.

In partnership with VFS Global, the new initiative is a boon to Emirates flyers in India even as they can skip the queues on arrival in Dubai. Fulfilled by Dubai Visa Processing Centre (DVPC) and issued as a 14-day single entry visa, the service is exclusively available to Indian passport holders who have a valid six-month visa for the US, US Green Card, EU Residency, or UK Residency.

Operating over 3,600 flights per week from its hub at Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport, Emirates serves nine destinations in India with 167 weekly flights, connecting travellers to Dubai and more than 140 other destinations.

The DVPC, which is VFS Global’s exclusive facility for Emirates and the Government of Dubai, is operational in 12 major Indian cities. Through the DVPC mobile app, Emirates passengers can apply for an UAE visa in five minutes, claims its online platform. In addition to this, the app enables one to apply for the 30-day tourist visa, 96-hour transit visa or 90-day visit visa, subject to one’s Emirates Airline itinerary.

The issuance of visas, however, is solely the discretion of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs.