Emirates extends suspension of flights from Pakistan to UAE till July 28

Emirates on Friday extended its suspension of flights from four countries — Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka — to Dubai till July 28 in line with directives from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government.

In a statement, the airline said that passengers who had connected through any of the four countries in the last 14 days would not be permitted to travel from any point to the UAE.

"UAE Nationals, holders of UAE Golden Visas and members of diplomatic missions who comply with updated Covid‑19 protocols, are exempt and may be accepted for travel," it said.

Passengers whose flights had been cancelled or affected by the suspension of certain routes due to pandemic-related restrictions could "hold on to [their] Emirates ticket and when flights resume, get in touch with us or [the] booking office to make new travel plans," the airline advised.

"Our contact centres are experiencing a greater volume of calls than anticipated. If your call is not related to travel within the next 48 hours, please consider calling back later," the statement added.

Earlier this month, Emirates had suspended flights from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka till July 15 following the UAE's extension of a ban on inbound flights from 14 countries including Pakistan.

The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) had said in a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) that flights from 14 countries, including Pakistan, would remain suspended until July 21, 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, it said cargo flights as well as business and charter flights would be exempted from the suspension.

Emirates was one of the airlines that were issued a warning by Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) earlier in July over inconvenience caused to passengers by the "sudden cancellation of flights".