Dubai’s Emirates to be first airline to offer free cover for Covid-19 medical costs for passengers

Dubai carrier Emirates will be the first airline to offer free cover for Covid-19 related medical and quarantine costs for passengers travelling to and from the UAE.

As directed by @HHShkMohd, @emirates will be the first airline to offer free cover for COVID-19 medical costs for customers when they travel to & from UAE & around the world. This will boost travel confidence & once again positions Emirates & Dubai as aviation industry leaders. pic.twitter.com/9mUBeDnx1X

— HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum (@HHAhmedBinSaeed) July 23, 2020

Emirates customers can claim medical expenses of up to EUR150,000 and quarantine costs of EUR100 per day for 14 days, should they be diagnosed with Covid-19 during their travel, while away from home, Dubai Media Office reported.

The cover for Covid-19 related medical expenses and quarantine costs is offered to all customers regardless of class of travel or destination.

Immediately effective for customers flying on Emirates until October 31, 2020 (first flight to be completed on or before October 31, 2020), the cover remains valid for 31 days from the moment customers fly the first sector of their journey.

Emirates becomes the world’s first airline to provide free, global cover to customers from COVID-19 medical expenses. Launched under @hhshkmohd’s directive, this industry-leading initiative aims to boost travel confidence. https://t.co/gwjVNhubiP#FlySaferWithEmirates #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/OahtuyhRTN

— Emirates Airline (@emirates) July 23, 2020

Passengers need not register or fill any forms prior to travel, nor are they obligated to utilise this cover.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates group chairman and chief executive, said: “Under the directive of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, Emirates is proud to lead the way in boosting confidence for international travel. We know people are yearning to fly as borders around the world gradually re-open, but they are seeking flexibility and assurances should something unforeseen happen during their travel.”

“Emirates has worked hard to put in place measures at every step of the customer journey to mitigate risk of infection, and we have also revamped our booking policies to offer flexibility. We are now taking it to the next level, by being the first in the industry to offer our customers free global cover for Covid-19 medical expenses and quarantine costs should they incur these costs during their travel. It is an investment on our part, but we are putting our customers first, and we believe they will welcome this initiative,” he added.

Emirates currently serves over 60 destinations in its network, facilitating travel between the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific via a connection in Dubai.

Tourists can travel to Dubai as the city has re-opened for business and leisure visitors from July 7, with new air travel protocols in place for UAE citizens, residents and tourists.

Read: Dubai to welcome tourists from July 7, unveils new travel protocols for all residents and citizens

In July, the airline said that it had processed nearly 650,000 refund requests in the past two months, returning over Dhs1.9bn to its customers due to several cancellations as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Read more: Dubai’s Emirates processes nearly 650,000 refund requests, returns over Dhs1.9bn to customers