Emirates to organise special repatriation flights in May from Dubai to five countries

Dubai-based Emirates airline has said that it will operate a limited number of flights to five destinations in May including Frankfurt (May 2, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13), London’s Heathrow airport (May 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 14), Manila (May 3, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 16), Sao Paulo (May 3), and Shanghai (May 2).

The one-way special flights will allow outbound travel of residents and visitors in the UAE wishing to return to their home countries.

Only citizens of the destination countries, and those who meet the entry requirements of the destination they are flying to will be allowed to board.

The airline said that those who wish to travel to Shanghai must contact the embassy or consulate of the People’s Republic of China in the UAE.

Passengers for all the other flights can book via the airline’s website or through travel agents.

Passengers are required to follow all health and safety measures required by the UAE authorities and the country of destination.

They should wear their own masks when at the airport and on-board the aircraft.

The UAE suspended all international flights last month to contain the spread of Covid-19, but has permitted repatriation flights to operate.

On April 22, Emirates confirmed that it would resume regular operations “as soon as conditions allow”.

Read: Dubai’s Emirates says will resume services ‘as soon as conditions allow’

All cabin crew, boarding agents and ground staff, who come in direct contact with passengers, will now wear personal protective equipment (PPE).

Read: Emirates staff to wear protective gear amid Covid-19 concerns

In April, Emirates already conducted a series of repatriation flights to select destinations including Frankfurt, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Lagos, London Heathrow, Madrid, Manila and Tunis.

On all its repatriation flights, Emirates offers a modified inflight service as part of its Covid-19 precautionary measures.

Meals on-board are served in hygienic prepacked meal boxes, offering customers sandwiches, beverages, snacks, and desserts. A selection of hot snacks are also served on long-haul flights.

The airline added that seats are pre-allocated where possible with vacant seats placed between individual passengers or family groups in observance of physical distancing protocols.

All Emirates aircraft go through enhanced cleaning and disinfection processes in Dubai after each journey.

It also said that cabin baggage will not be accepted on these repatriation flights. Carry-on items allowed in the cabin will be limited to laptops, handbags, briefcases or baby items.

All other items have to be checked in, and Emirates will add the cabin baggage allowance to customers’ check-in baggage allowance.

Emirates said that passengers should arrive at Dubai International airport Terminal 3 three hours before their departure and only those with confirmed bookings will be entertained at the check-in counters.