Covid-19: Emirates to resume Dubai flights from select UK cities

Dubai - UK suspended travel to curb the spread of new Covid virus variants.

By Web Report

Published: Mon 1 Feb 2021, 5:50 PM

Last updated: Mon 1 Feb 2021, 7:16 PM

In a fresh travel update issued by Emirates airline on Monday, the Dubai-carrier said it will resume flights from select UK cities to Dubai.

Last week in January, a travel ban was placed between the UAE and the UK. Announced by the UK mission in UAE, the suspension took effect from 1pm UK time on January 29.

“You will not be able to fly directly to the UK from the UAE after this time,” the embassy tweeted on Thursday.

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Britain’s Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the UAE has been added to the government’s travel alert list along with Burundi and Rwanda.

The announcement left many British visitors to scramble for last-minute arrangements to fly out of UAE.

On February 1, Emirates airlines issued a statement saying that

'From February 2, 2021, we will operate passenger flights to Dubai from London Heathrow and Manchester. Customers seeking to leave the UK on these services should ensure that they are authorised to travel under the latest UK government rules, and meet the travel requirements of their final destination.

We regret the inconvenience caused, and affected customers should contact their booking agent or Emirates call centre for rebooking.

Travellers seeking to enter the UK should refer to the UK government website for the latest information on entry requirements and isolation / quarantine arrangements on arrival.'

The UK travel guidelines said that non-citizens will be barred from travelling to the UK from the UAE, and British citizens will have to undergo a 10-day quarantine. Any exemptions usually in place will not apply, including for business travel, announced the UK that is reeling under a massive spike in coronavirus cases.

The decision to ban travel from these destinations follows the discovery of a new coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa, that may have spread to other countries, including Burundi and Rwanda, said a government spokesperson.

From 1pm on January 29, passengers who have been in or transited through the UAE, Burundi and Rwanda in the last 10 days will no longer be granted access to the UK.

This does not include British and Irish nationals, or third-country nationals with residence rights in the UK. They will be able to enter the UK but are required to self-isolate for 10 days at home, or in a hotel. They will not be eligible to use “Test to Release’ that allows people to use a negative Covid test result to release themselves from quarantine protocol.