Emirates Partners with Spotify for Inflight Music and Podcast Streaming
Emirates’ ice entertainment system is gaining podcasts and playlists from Spotify
Photo: Courtesy of Emirates
There’s nothing quite like gazing out an airplane window to the sounds of your favorite song — or true crime podcast. Now, on Emirates flights, you can tap into playlists and podcasts from Spotify right through your seat-back entertainment system.
The Gulf carrier has signed a deal with the audio streaming giant to bring the best Spotify content to its “ice” seatback consoles.
That includes playlists curated by Spotify’s in-house music buffs, such as:
- RapCaviar Mixtape
- Viva Latino Mixtape
- Jazz Classics Mixtape
- Arabic Classics Mixtape
- Mood Booster Mixtape
- Peaceful Piano Mixtape
All mixtapes are updated with new songs monthly, so no matter how often you fly, they’ll never get old.
Passengers with finicky music tastes can even curate their own playlists using the Emirates mobile app before they depart and then sync them once onboard the plane.
140 Podcast Episodes
Emirates and Spotify have also loaded the entertainment systems with 140 episodes of podcasts that span genres—including business, sports, entertainment, and true crime—and languages.
Photo: Courtesy of Emirates
Highlights include “What Now? With Trevor Noah,” a series of candid interviews conducted by the former The Daily Show host, with guests ranging from celebrities to thought leaders.
In “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” the sportswriter discusses sports and culture with megawatt celebrities such as Tom Hanks, Adam Sandler, and Larry David.
Meanwhile, “Serial Killers” taps into the true crime craze and explores deviant minds and their darkest impulses.
To stay connected mid-flight, business travelers may want to tune into “The Journal,” a podcast about money and power produced by the Wall Street Journal.
But to let your mind wander, check out “Case 63,” a twisty sci-fi podcast voiced by Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac.
Photo: ICE, First Class. Courtesy of Emirates
Podcasts are currently available in English, Portuguese, Tagalog, and German, with episodes to debut in Spanish and Hindi in 2025.
Ground Connectivity
Not done with your episode when the flight lands? With selected podcasts and playlists, travelers can scan a QR code with their personal devices and continue listening on the ground.
“At Spotify, we want to be everywhere our listeners are, so we’re thrilled to partner with Emirates to deliver best-in-class playlist and podcast entertainment for fliers around the world,” said Ian Geller, VP of Business Development at Spotify.
“From signature playlists to top podcasts, we’re bringing Emirates customers an inspiring, curated experience—at 30,000 feet and beyond.”
Patrick Brannelly, SVP of Inflight Entertainment & Connectivity at Emirates, added: “Emirates is proud to bring some of Spotify’s best podcasts and playlists to ice, continuing to provide a best-in-class inflight entertainment experience for all our customers.”
Photo: Boeing 777-300ER, new Business Class. Courtesy of Emirates
“Spotify fans will be happy to see their favorite content onboard, and we are excited to introduce great conversations and music to new audiences across our global customer base.”
Spotify playlists and podcasts further enrich Emirates’ expansive library of audio and visual content. Travelers can also tune into more than 6,500 on-demand entertainment channels in more than 40 languages. That includes more than 4,000 hours of movies and TV shows, including content from Paramount+, HBO Max, Discovery+, BBC, Bloomberg Originals, and Shahid.
Spotify content is available now on Emirates flights to 140 destinations.
