Emirates will provide shisha pipe lounges on some of its flights, according to local reports.
The new service is likely to be controversial given that shisha pipes carry what some medical authorities describe as a misleading reputation for being a recreational and harmless form of smoking.
According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the fruit tobacco is no less toxic in a hookah pipe.
The new service is set to debut in June on the carrier’s fleet of Airbus A380 aircraft and will be offered to Emirates’ business and first-class passengers.
Passengers can pre-order a shisha – also known as a hubble-bubble or hookah – from the onboard menu and retire to the lounge for a post-meal smoke.
Emirates says it is introducing the Signature Shisha Lounge to enrich the flying experience for Middle Eastern passengers, but also to introduce the Arabian custom to foreigners.
