After suspending the flights “indefinitely”, Emirates airline came around and announced the resumption of passenger flights from the United Kingdom.

Emirates airline announced the resumption of passenger flights from London Heathrow (LHR) and Manchester Airport (MAN) to Dubai International Airport (DBX), beginning February 2, 2021. The airline announced that passengers coming to Dubai should be aware of quarantine requirements. 

“Customers seeking to leave the UK on these services should ensure that they are authorized to travel under the latest UK government rules, and meet the travel requirements of their final destination,” outlined the airline.

On January 29, 2021, in an effort to stop the spread of the new COVID-19 variant, the UK added the United Arab Emirates, Burundi and Rwanda to its “red list” of banned countries. Only passengers with residence rights in the UK are allowed to enter. 

Emirates was one of the most affected airlines as it operates to several British airports, including Birmingham Airport (BHX), Glasgow International Airport (GLE), London Heathrow Airport, and Manchester Airport. On the flights to London Heathrow and Manchester Airport, Emirates operates its flagship Airbus A380 aircraft. Since January 25, 2021, six different A380s have completed scheduled flights to the two British airports.

On January 29, 2021, Etihad Airways also announced the suspension of direct passenger flights between Abu Dhabi and the UK airports.

The UAE was the most popular long-haul destination among Britons in November 2020. 84,500 passengers traveled to and from the country, according to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

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