Emirates has extended the flight suspension from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to Dubai until July 28 in line with the UAE government’s directives, the airline said in its latest advisory issued Friday.
“Furthermore, passengers who have connected through India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, or Sri Lanka in the last 14 days will not be accepted to travel from any other point to the UAE,” read the advisory.
UAE nationals, Golden Visa holders and members of diplomatic missions who comply with updated Covid-19 protocols, however, are exempt.
“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,” the airline added.
The extension in flight suspension comes as Pakistan battles the resurgence of another coronavirus wave and the rise of the deadly Delta variant which has taken the national tally above one million.
Last month, the UAE extended the ban on flights from Pakistan and 13 other countries till July 21, Gulf News had reported, citing a Notice to Airmen.
The other countries include India, Nigeria, South Africa, Liberia, Namibia, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic Of Congo, Uganda, Zambia, Vietnam, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, according to a report by Dawn, hopes for lifting of a ban on all Pakistan-registered aircraft to enter European Union member states as well as the United Kingdom have been eroded after the global aviation watchdog delayed this month’s scheduled safety audit of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for an unspecified period.
While the PIA tried its best to get provisional permission to operate flights in EU states, the EASA in December extended the ban for additional three months and made it clear that it would not be lifted without the safety audit of the CAA by the aviation watchdog International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
The suspension was extended again from April for an indefinite period and EASA linked any development with the ICAO’s safety audit of the CAA.
