UAE airlines to maintain fewer flights to Pakistan till June 15

Web Desk

June 02, 2021

A file photo of an Etihad Airways plane. Photo: File

Etihad Airways spokesperson says temporary reduction may get extended after June 15.
Flydubai say their flights to Pakistan will remain suspended till June 15.
Last month, UAE had barred the entry to non-UAE resident travellers from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

DUBAI: Airlines in the UAE announced on Wednesday that they will continue to operate fewer flights to Pakistan as per the directives issued by the Pakistani government.

"The Pakistani government has issued updated travel directives extending the limit on the number of international passengers allowed to travel into Pakistan," A spokesperson for Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways told Gulf News.

The officials said due to the update the “temporary reduction” of Etihad passenger flights between Abu Dhabi and Pakistan will remain in place till June 15. The official also said that the “temporary reduction” may get extended after June 15.

"Etihad is contacting impacted guests to notify them of the changes to their itineraries and rearrange travel plans," said the spokesperson.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for UAE airline FlyDubai said that their flights to Pakistan will remain suspended till June 15.

UAE suspends entry for passengers from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka

Last month, the UAE announced the barring of entry to non-UAE resident travellers from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

In April, UAE had banned entry to travellers from India to guard against the spread of the highly contagious Indian variant.

"Flights between the four countries will continue to allow the transport of passengers from the UAE to Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka," the Gulf state's National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) said.

UAE citizens, long-term residency holders — known as "golden visa" holders — and diplomats are not included in the ban, which came just ahead of the Eid festival celebrating the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.

To enter the UAE from the four countries, people must have been in another country for at least 14 days beforehand, the NCEMA said.