UAE National Day 2020: Emirates celebrations in Dubai, Sao Paulo, Tokyo and Chicago

Ground staff at airports on six continents flew the Emirati flag to mark the UAE's 49th National Day

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  Emirates employees form a '49' on the tarmac at Dubai International Airport. All images courtesy Emirates

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  Emirates staff send UAE National Day greetings from under the wing of a jet in Toyko, Japan.

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  Socially-distanced greetings from Emirates in Chicago, United States.

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  Getting the bunting out in Zurich.

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  Emirates staff in Bahrain send National Day greetings in front of jet with green Expo2020 Dubai livery.

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  UAE National Day greetings from Vienna, Austria.

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  Staff from the Dubai airline in Accra wave the UAE flag ahead of the UAE's 49th National Day

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  Emirates ground staff in Sao Paulo, Brazil send UAE National Day greetings.

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  Up and away - Emirates staff in Geneva wave an Emirates flight off with UAE flags.

Emirates Airline took its 49th UAE National Day celebrations to new heights with flag-waving events across six continents.

Staff from the Dubai airline's global teams took to aprons at airports across the world to wave the UAE flag and send congratulations to the UAE on December 2nd.

At Dubai International Airport, Emirates employees kicked off the festivity. Waving UAE flags in various sizes, staff stood in the formation of a number 49 in front of one of the airline's A380 superjumbos.

They were joined in their well-wishing by Emirates's ground operations employees in several countries around the world. In Ghana, employees waved flags and signs that read "UAE 49" as they stood in front of a Boeing 777-300 at Kotoka International Airport in the capital Accra.

Over in neighbouring Bahrain, Emirates employees were pictured with a huge congratulatory sign next to one of the airline's Expo 2020 Dubai-liveried jets.

Emirates staff in Tokyo celebrate the UAE's 49th National Day under the wing of a jet. Courtesy Emirates

National Day congratulations also came from Switzerland, where Emirates staff stood on the tarmac waving UAE flags below the flight path of a jet that took off from Geneva airport. Greetings also rolled in from Emirates crews in Tokyo, Vienna, Chicago, Zurich and Sao Paulo.

Passengers flying on Emirates jets over National Day will also be able to get in the celebratory spirit. The airline is offering travellers a taste of Emirati cuisine and showcasing locally-inspired entertainment on its in-flight systems.

Emirates is working to resume its network to pre-pandemic levels and is currently flying to 99 destinations across six continents. The airline is gearing up for a busy National Day in terms of passengers, and expects this rise in traveller numbers to continue over the next two weeks as the festive season commences.

Last year, the Dubai airline celebrated UAE National Day by operating a Guinness World Record-breaking flight. The airline flew a 90-minute A380 flight around Dubai which had more than 500 passengers from 145 nationalities on-board. Emirates Airline now holds the world record for having the most nationalities on an aircraft.