Etihad continues to use flights from the UK
30 January, 2021
Stranded Australians hit simply by UK's UAE flight ban
The UK's ban on direct flights from the UAE to Britain is set to have an effect on travellers hoping to travel home to Australia.
Following the British government's ban on incoming flights from the UAE, along with Rwanda and Burundi, Emirates possesses cancelled almost all flights departing the UK, including upon the world's busiest overseas route from London to Dubai.
The airline said that its previous flights from the UK would depart Britain on Friday, Janaury 29 from London Heathrow and Birmingham.
Now, stranded Australians who've been struggling to return home amid limited flights and caps in international arrival quantities, look set to face further delays.
The UAE is an integral transport hub for travellers flying to Australia and New Zealand.
The Australian Superior Commission in the UK said it was working with Emirates and Etihad "to understand the effect on outbound travel from the UK."
It's the second time in recent weeks that Emirates has suspended flights to Australia. The Dubai airline released on January 15 that flights to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane will be suspended pursuing a decrease in international arrival amounts. This decision was later reversed.
Abu Dhabi's Etihad hasn't cancelled its flights from the UK. "Flights departing the UK remain unaffected and can operate as scheduled," a spokesman from the airline informed The National.
It is idea that the airline will continue to fly cargo flights in to the UK, and then fly passengers out of your country.
Repatriation options
Eran Ben-Avraham, an Australian stranded in Britain due to limits on the amount of arrivals to his home country, told the Australian Broadcasting Company that his options for getting home were continually shrinking, reported Reuters.
"At the moment it is only providing us three options of flying Qatar, ANA or perhaps Singapore Airlines."
"Every day it is making it more challenging to get home."
Australia's Qantas is operating repatriation flights to buying Australian citizens, a few of whom possess been looking forward to months for a trip.
The national airline of Australia is repatriating citizens from London, Europe and India.
Following a announcement of the UK-UAE flight ban, several Australians took to sociable media to demand more repatriation flights to get put into Qantas's schedule.
Mark Woodward, an associate of a Facebook group called "Australians stranded in the UK" said Qantas and the Australian federal government should work to improve quarantine options.
"It's period for Qantas and the federal government to organise trip and quarantine offers. Those that can afford to pay their flights and quarantine during booking do so, those that can't, some system of government support will ought to be developed," he wrote on the social media platform.
Source: www.thenationalnews.com