Abdul Basit
Etihad Airways on Tuesday said it will add more special flights flying out of Abu Dhabi, to Melbourne and Amsterdam.
In addition to Melbourne and Amsterdam, Etihad continues to operate special passenger flights from Abu Dhabi to several destinations including Manila, Seoul Incheon, Singapore, and Jakarta.
Abu Dhabi-based airline has been operating special flights which have allowed passengers stranded in the UAE due to Covid-19 restrictions the opportunity to return home. The flights also support the ‘UAE Food Security Programme’ by utilising belly-hold capacity of passenger aircraft for cargo.
The airline continues to repatriate UAE citizens on return sectors where possible, and carry fresh produce as belly-hold cargo on the return segments back to Abu Dhabi.
These special flights from Abu Dhabi will be available for booking through etihad.com, the mobile app, by calling the Etihad Airways contact centre on +971 600 555 666 (UAE), or through a local or online travel agency. UAE nationals wishing to return back to the UAE should contact their local UAE embassy or consulate.
On the same day, Dubai’s flydubai said that it has opened ticket booking for flights to Pakistan and India from next week to repatriate stranded people in the UAE, but it’s subject respective governments approvals.
“A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) sets out the flight restrictions that are in place between the UAE and India in response to Covid-19. Flydubai has opened flights for sale to India and Pakistan to allow repatriations for their nationals from April 15 and will operate subject to government approval,” Flydubai spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday.
Currently, thousands of Indian and Pakistani nationals are stranded in the UAE to suspension of flights.
Earlier in the day, The UAE News broke the news and published a story on its website mentioning the flydubai will start bookings for Pakistan and India from next week.
Dubai-based flydubai is expected to resume flight operations for Pakistan and India from April 15.
Initially, the Dubai carrier will start flying to major cities of Pakistan such as Karachi, Faisalabad, Multan. For India, major destinations will include New Delhi, Mumbai, Cochin, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Chennai, and Calicut.
Flydubai’s elder brother Emirates airline has already started limited operations from April 6 with select destinations in Europe.
Dubai’s flagship airline Emirates resumed its special flights after suspension, with the first flight taking off from Dubai International on Monday morning and landing in Frankfurt in the afternoon.
Flights to the other two scheduled destinations – Heathrow London and Zurich – were cancelled. The flights are operating from Dubai International’s Terminal 2.
Emirates earlier this week received approvals to commence special flights from April 6 from Dubai to five European cities of London, Frankfurt, Paris, Brussels and Zurich, with four flights a week to London Heathrow, and 3 flights a week to the other cities.
Along with outbound passengers from the UAE, the flights also carried belly-hold cargo in both directions, supporting trade and communities with the transport of essential goods.
However, it was not revealed how many passengers were onboard the first flight. Thousands of passengers from different countries who wish to go back home are currently in the UAE.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, earlier said that these initial passenger services are limited to travellers who meet the entry requirements set by the destination countries.
“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,” Sheikh Ahmed said. – abdulbasit@theuaenews.com
