In what is some pretty heartbreaking news for stranded Aussies, Emirates has announced it will be suspending all flights into Australia’s three major hubs.
Emirates has cancelled its Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne routes “until further notice”, due to “operational reasons”.
The news comes shortly after the national cabinet’s decision to drastically reduce international arrival caps into the country.
READ: New Rules On All Flights To Protect Aussies From COVID-19
The last flights will be:
- Dubai – Sydney (EK414), January 18
- Sydney – Dubai (EK415), January 19
- Dubai – Melbourne (EK408), January 19
- Melbourne – Dubai (EK409), January 20
The Emirates / Qantas partnership will be continuing its twice-weekly flights between Dubai and Perth.
What does this mean for stranded Aussies?
With Emirates axing 19 flights per week from its schedule, stranded Aussies will find it even more difficult to get themselves a golden ticket seat back home.
The new airline arrivals cap is less than 5000, to keep up with quarantine requirements and “manage the flow of returning Australians and other travellers who have been potentially exposed to the new variants”.
An Emirates spokesman apologised for “the inconvenience caused to our customers”.
37,000 Australians who are currently overseas have told DFAT they want to return.
On Friday, a Qantas repatriation flight took off from London Heathrow, and on Saturday the government announced that it will be chartering another 20 flights to bring stranded Aussies home.
Acting Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Birmingham said the repatriation flights will come from priority locations around the world and will be in addition to current traveller caps.
Etihad still takes off
Etihad continues to operate from Sydney and Melbourne five times per week, offering connections via Abu Dhabi across the Middle East, Europe and North America.
Etihad is taking care of all guests with Etihad Wellness, so they can feel safe in the knowledge every guest flying with us has tested negative for COVID-19 before they fly.
All passengers have COVID-19 insurance when flying with Etihad, launched with the airline’s partner AXA. The cover is included with every Etihad ticket travelling up to 31 March 2021.
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