Emirates extends South Africa flight suspension
UAE carrier Emirates has extended its flight suspension to South Africa. The airline had been intending to resume such services tomorrow (January 28th). However, for the time being, the flight suspension has been extended until February 4th.
Around the world, airlines are constantly changing their flying plans in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has seen routes reopening where travel restrictions have been lowered, and demand has returned. However, on the flip side, it has also seen routes being withdrawn. South Africa has especially seen this effect since it became known as an area where a new COVID-19 variant is prevalent.
Emirates has extended its suspension of South African flights. The flights to Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg were first suspended from January 16th. The airline had planned to resume such services tomorrow. However, this will not be the case, as Emirates made clear on Monday.
According to the airline, such flights now remain suspended until February 4th. This is in line with a government directive restricting travelers from South Africa from entering the United Arab Emirates. The order was issued concerning the virus variant prevalent in South Africa. Given that the suspension is related to the directive, it is possible that it could once again be extended beyond February 4th.
