Emirates is set to resume passenger flights from South Africa, Nigeria, and India from June 23 after a ban over a spike in coronavirus cases, reports say.
According to South China Morning Post, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which includes Dubai, suspended all flights from India – including for transit passengers – in April in an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus.
“We will resume carrying passengers from South Africa, Nigeria and India … from June 23,” the report quoted Emirates as saying.
Broadcasting television channel eNCA quoted Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management as saying that new protocols only allowed travellers from South Africa who received two doses of a UAE-approved vaccine to enter Dubai.
Passengers must present a negative result from a PCR test taken within 48 hours before departure to Dubai, the report said.
In January, the country announced it had closed its doors to anybody who had travelled from or through South Africa.
The Middle Eastern airline said it “welcomes the latest protocols and measures announced by Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management to allow the safe resumption of passenger travel from South Africa, Nigeria and India to Dubai and onwards”, a Fin24 report said.
“We look forward to facilitating travel from these countries and supporting various travellers’ categories,” said the airline.
The Emirates Group announced its first year of loss in more than 30 years, caused by a significant drop in revenue, fully attributed to the impact of Covid-19-related flight and travel restrictions throughout its entire financial year of 2020/21.
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