Covid-19: Emirates suspends flights temporarily; full list

Dubai - They come amid a surge in daily infections across the world, attributed to the emergence of at least three new Covid strains.

Dubai carrier Emirates has suspended several flights in light of recent government directives issued to manage the spread of Covid-19.

The directives come amid a surge in daily infections across the world, attributed to the emergence of at least three new Covid strains originating in the UK, South Africa and Brazil.

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Dubai has been ramping up measures to limit the spread of the virus across the country, announcing recent suspensions to live entertainment and non-essential surgeries.

The city has also been cracking down on violators of precautionary measures, issuing fines to as many as 443 people in January alone for failure to wear masks at malls.

Here's a full list of all the recent flight suspension developments announced by Emirates so far.

United Kingdom

On Thursday, the British Embassy in the UAE announced that a travel ban between the UAE and the UK would take effect from 1pm UK time on January 29.

In light of the directive, Emirates announced it would be suspending passenger services between Dubai and all of its UK points — Birmingham, Glasgow, London, and Manchester — until further notice.

Non-citizens will be barred from travelling to the UK from the UAE. British citizens will be allowed to enter the country; however, they will need to undergo a mandatory 10-day quarantine.

The last flight to the UK will reach London's Heathrow airport at 3.12pm UAE time today, less than two hours before the suspension comes into force.

Meanwhile, the last four flights from the UK to the UAE will arrive in the country between 8pm today and 12.45am on Saturday, January 30.

South Africa

In its latest advisory dated January 25, Emirates announced an extension on the suspension of flights to South Africa. The revision noted that the suspension will now stay in place until February 4, in line with recent government directives that restrict the entry of travellers originating from South Africa, into the UAE.

Customers holding tickets with final destinations in South Africa will not be accepted for travel at their point of origin.

Flights to and from South Africa had been temporarily suspended from January 16-28. The airline had cited operational reasons as the cause at the time.

Brazil

On Friday, Emirates announced passenger services between Dubai and Sao Paulo would be temporarily suspended from February 1 to February 10 inclusive.

The move was attributed to the ongoing Covid-19 situation.

Affected customers have been advised by the airline to get in touch with their booking agents or contact Emirates for rebooking options.

• Dubai