DUBAI, 25 March 2020: Emirates confirmed Tuesday it would temporarily suspend all passenger services from 25 March to comply with the UAE government’s directive.
Claiming the measures are in place to contain the spread of COVID-19 the airline said it hoped to “resume services as soon as feasible”. Cargo and emergency repatriation flights are exempt.
An earlier post issued by the airline on the evening of 22 March suggested that it would be able to keep some flights operating and even identified cities in Asia and Europe.
However, that post was superseded by a statement on Tuesday, 24 March that confirmed all flights to and from the UAE would be cancelled 25 March.
The airline assured passengers they do not need to call to cancel bookings as the airline deactivated its no-show fees. It did advise passengers to complete a travel voucher request form to rebook flights later.
The airline is facing an overload of calls to customer service centres. It said passengers not travelling in the next 48 hours should call closer to the departure dates.
Customers with flight bookings for travel on or before 30 June 2020 can rebook their flights to any Emirates destination within the same region without a rebooking fee or paying any fare difference.
Customers who booked directly with Emirates can visit the Travel Voucher webpage and add “Refund request due to Coronavirus” in the comments section. Customers who booked with a travel agent must contact them for further assistance with their bookings.
UAE authorities announced on 23 March that all passenger flights, including transit flights, would be suspended 25 March for at least two weeks. Visitors are not allowed to enter the UAE until further notice.
