Emirates extends flight ban to UAE from India, Pakistan, two other countries till July 28

In line with the UAE government directives, the country’s flagship carrier Emirates has extended its suspension of flights to Dubai from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka till July 28.

Emirates said in a statement that any passenger who has been to these four Asian countries in the last 14 days will not be allowed to travel from anywhere to the UAE.

“UAE Nationals, holders of UAE Golden Visas and members of diplomatic missions who comply with updated COVID‑19 protocols, are exempt and may be accepted for travel,” the Dubai-based airline said.

Earlier this week, the UAE extended the ban on international flights from the four countries amid concerns over coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases largely driven by the highly contagious Delta variant. The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority had suspended inbound flights from India to Dubai on April 24 in the wake of the deadly second wave of Covid-19.

“If your flight has been cancelled or impacted by route suspensions due to COVID‑19 restrictions, you don’t need to call us immediately for rebooking. You can simply hold on to your Emirates ticket and when flights resume, get in touch with us or your booking office to make new travel plans,” said Emirates.

The highest number of expatriates in the UAE are from India, followed by Pakistan and Bangladesh, making the aviation industry of the Gulf nation heavily dependent on visitors from these Asian countries. But the spread of deadly variants of concern prompted the UAE to suspend international flights as a precautionary measure.

While the number of Covid-19 cases in India has declined in recent days, authorities around the world are still concerned about the spread of the Delta variant that could jeopardise the pandemic response.