File Photo: Emirates Airline Boeing 777-300ER planes are seen at Dubai International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates February 15, 2019. (Photo: Reuters)
Gulf airline Emirates said on Monday that it will restart passenger flights to Cairo and Tunis starting 1 July, bringing its total destinations to 52 next month.
Emirates is one of many airlines around the world who are resuming operations after months of suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In an official press release sent to Ahram Online, Emirates said it will operate flights to the Maldives starting 16 July, and that its network aims to offer travelers “convenient connections between the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas through its Dubai hub” while ensuring the health and safety of customers and employees both on the ground and aboard flights.
Flights can be booked online through Emirates’ website or through travel agents, it said.
The company said that people can also travel to Dubai, after Emirati authorities announced the reopening of the business hub to visitors starting 7 July amid new air travel protocols that facilitate travel for UAE citizens, residents and tourists while adhering to health and safety measures.
The carrier said it has implemented several measures to ensure the safety of travelers and employees, including the distribution of complimentary hygiene kits containing masks, gloves, hand sanitisers, and antibacterial wipes to all customers.
The company also said that travelers will only be allowed to board flights if they meet the entry criteria set by their destination countries.
“Visitors to Dubai should have an international health insurance policy covering illness from COVID-19 for the duration of their stay,” it said.
The announcement by Emirates comes as Egypt braces for a gradual resumption of regular international flights at all its airports starting 1 July. Foreign tourists will only be allowed entry into the three coastal governorates with the lowest coronavirus infection rates in the country.
Egypt halted all international flights on 19 March in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus. It has since only allowed its airports to open to domestic, freight and special repatriation flights.
Flights will be resumed with countries that have reopened their airports, minister Mohamed Manar Enaba said earlier this month.
The areas that will open for foreign tourists in the first stage are South Sinai, where the popular seaside resort of Sharm El-Sheikh is located, the Red Sea governorate, home to the city of Hurghada, and Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean.
Egypt hopes that the resumption of regular flights starting next month will boost its ailing tourism sector, an essential source of foreign currency.
Short link: