AXA to offer Covid-19 insurance cover

AXA Gulf plans to include cover for Covid-19 under all its travel insurance policies. Also, the insurer will cover the expenses associated with the rescheduling of a return flight caused as a result of the virus.

With additional flights and destinations opening up all the time, overseas travel is picking up. However, the threat of Covid-19 remains in many parts of the world, with almost six million active cases globally.

With an average daily cost of an intensive care unit (ICU) in a developed country being as much as $5,000, business and leisure travellers might face crippling healthcare bills if they contract the virus while travelling.

AXA will reimburse its travel insurance policyholders for an amount of up to $5,000 for irrecoverable travel costs. Should customers find themselves having to be placed in quarantine whilst overseas, the insurer will pay up to $100 per day for a maximum of 15 days if they cannot isolate themselves safely in their booked accommodation.

“With the UAE leading the way in opening up to international travel, we recognised the need to ensure that our customers could travel safely, secure in the knowledge that AXA Gulf was there to help them,” said Franck Heimburger, chief personal lines officer at AXA Gulf.

AXA announcement follows a report by Emirates Airlines that it will cover medical expenses of up to EUR 150,000 and quarantine costs of EUR 100 per day for 14 days, should customers be diagnosed with Covid-19 during their travel. This cover is provided by the airline, free of cost to its customers.

Read: Dubai’s Emirates to be first airline to offer free cover for Covid-19 medical costs for passengers