UAE’s Emirates will take to the skies from April 6 – chairman

UAE carrier Emirates has obtained approvals from relevant authorities to commence flying from April 6, its chairman Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum announced.

Emirates, which suspended “most of its flights” on March 25, has received approvals to begin four flights a week to London Heathrow, and three flights a week to Frankfurt, Paris, Brussels and Zurich, a statement said.

Operating from Dubai International airport Terminal 2 until further notice, these flights will only carry outbound passengers from the UAE.

The carrier will operate its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on the routes, offering seats in business and economy class. Flights can be booked by eligible passengers on the airline’s website.

“Travel restrictions are in place at these destinations, and travellers are urged to check entry criteria before they fly,” the statement said.

Emirates will also carry belly-hold cargo in both directions, it said.

Sheikh Ahmed said: “These initial passenger services, although limited to travellers who meet the entry requirements set by the destination countries, will be welcomed by our customers seeking to return home to their countries and families.

“While we hope to resume full operations as soon as possible, we acknowledge the challenges faced by many cities in dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak. Our network can only be restored with the easing of travel restrictions, and we maintain close contact with all authorities for latest updates.

“We are working closely with the authorities to resume our services, keeping in mind the safety and wellbeing of our crew and customers at every step of the journey. We continuously review the situation and will announce any additional services as they become available.”

Emirates has received approval from UAE authorities to start flying a limited number of passenger flights. From 06 April, these flights will initially carry travellers outbound from the UAE. Details will be announced soon. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/fnhLxQanIM

— HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum (@HHAhmedBinSaeed) April 2, 2020

For health and safety reasons, Emirates will operate a modified inflight service programme on these flights. Magazines and other print reading material will not be available, and while food and beverages will continue to be offered on board, packaging and presentation will be modified to reduce contact during meal service.

Emirates’ lounge and chauffeur drive services will also be temporarily unavailable during this period.

All Emirates aircraft will go through enhanced cleaning and disinfection processes in Dubai, after each journey, the statement added.

On March 22, Emirates said that it will be suspending “most” of its passenger operations from Wednesday, March 25, due to the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Read more: Update: Dubai’s Emirates says to stop ‘most’ passenger flights from March 25

Earlier this week, Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum confirmed that the emirate’s government will inject equity into its national carrier.

Read: Dubai to inject equity into Emirates airline, says Sheikh Hamdan