SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (UPDATED) – Emirates Airline said on Thursday, April 2, it is to resume a limited number of outbound passenger flights from Monday, April 6, less than two weeks after its coronavirus-enforced stoppage.
“Emirates has received approval from UAE authorities to restart flying a limited number of passenger flights,” its chairman, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, said on Twitter.
“From April 6, these flights will initially carry travelers outbound from UAE,” he said.
A statement issued by the company later Thursday specified that flights would “resume from Dubai to London (Heathrow), Frankfurt, Paris, Brussels, and Zurich, with 4 flights per week for London and 3 for the other cities.”
Cleaning and disinfection of the planes will take place after each flight and they will not carry passengers on return journeys to Dubai, the statement added.
Dubai-owned carrier Emirates, the largest in the Middle East with 271 wide-body aircraft, grounded passenger operations last week as the UAE halted all passenger flights to fight the spread of coronavirus.
The UAE, which groups 7 emirates including Dubai, has declared 814 coronavirus cases along with 8 deaths.
It has imposed a sweeping crackdown, including the flight ban and closure of borders.
Sheikh Ahmed said Emirates, which owns the world’s largest fleet of Airbus A380 superjumbos with 113 in its ranks, was looking to gradually resume passenger services.
“Over the time, Emirates looks forward to the gradual resumption of passenger services in line with lifting of travel and operational restrictions, including assurance of health measures to safeguard our people and customers,” he said.
When Emirates suspended flights, it cut between 25% and 50% of the basic salary of its 100,000-strong staff for 3 months, saying it wanted to avert layoffs.
Dubai’s crown prince, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, said on Tuesday, March 31, that Dubai will support the airline by injecting new capital.
Tourism, aviation, hotels, and entertainment are key contributors to Dubai’s mostly non-oil economy. – Rappler.com
Add a comment
How does this make you feel?
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.