Wayfarer TV: Emirates, Etihad resume selected flights to Australia, Europe, North America
From tomorrow (May 15), Etihad Airways will operate a regular scheduled service from Melbourne to London Heathrow via Abu Dhabi, and from May 21 will also introduce services from London Heathrow to Melbourne via Abu Dhabi.
The airline says it plans to maintain this link until it fully resumes its previous double daily connection between the two cities and these services complement Etihad’s existing schedule of special flights to and from Abu Dhabi to several destinations on its global network.
Neighbour airline Emirates has announced its plan to operate scheduled flight services from May 21 to nine destinations: Sydney, Melbourne, London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Chicago and Toronto.
Emirates says it will also offer connections in Dubai for customers travelling between the UK and Australia.
The airline says travellers, including those from Australia, will only be accepted on these flights if they comply with the eligibility and entry criteria requirements of their destination countries.
This includes an approval from the Federal Authority for Identify and Citizenship (ICA) for UAE residents who wish to return to Dubai.
Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer, Al Redha, said: “We are pleased to resume scheduled passenger services to these destinations, providing more options for customers to travel from the UAE to these cities, and also between the UK and Australia.
“We are working closely with the authorities to plan the resumption of operations to additional destinations. We have implemented additional measures at the airport in coordination with the relevant authorities in respect to social distancing and sanitization.
“The safety and wellbeing of our employees, customers and communities, remain our top priority.”
In addition to the scheduled services, Emirates will also continue to work closely with embassies and consulates to facilitate repatriation flights for visitors and residents wishing to return home. This week, the airline plans to operate flights from Dubai to Tokyo Narita (15 May), Conakry (16 May), and Dakar (16 May).
Emirates says the safety and wellbeing of passengers and employees is the airline’s top priority. In preparation for the resumption of flight services, the airline has already enhanced various precautionary measures throughout the customer journey.