Emirates flies Dubai businessman alone on a 360-seat passenger plane from Mumbai

A golden visa holder, Bhavesh Javeri is among the few people allowed to fly from India to UAE under current restrictions

Emirates flies Dubai businessman alone on a 360-seat passenger plane

Emirates flies Dubai businessman alone on a 360-seat passenger plane
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A UAE businessman received first-class treatment on May 19 when he boarded an Emirates flight from Mumbai to Dubai.

He was the only passenger on a 360-seater Boeing 777 aircraft.

Dubai resident Bhavesh Javeri, 40, who bought a ticket to Dubai for Rs18,000 ($246) on flight EK501, had the plane to himself for the three-hour journey. Only the pilots and crew members were on board.

Mr Javeri is a UAE Golden Visa residency holder and was eligible to fly to the UAE.

“I felt very special as I was the only person on the Emirates flight. The air hostesses applauded when I stepped into the aircraft and the pilot came out to do the public announcement since I was the only one on board,” Mr Javeri said in a video he shared on Facebook.

“Thank you so much. I'm honoured to be the only one. I'm so happy and excited to be on this flight,” he told the pilot.

In the video, Mr Javeri is seen being given a tour of the empty plane by a crew member.

Passenger flights from India are suspended until at least June 14, Emirates said.

Several categories of passenger are exempt from the ban, including Emiratis stranded in India, people with a UAE golden visa and members of diplomatic missions.