After several weeks of gradual route suspensions because of the global Coronavirus pandemic, the Dubai-based Emirates has now been forced to cancel 70 per cent of its normal schedule – 100 destinations have now been temporarily axed owing to travel bans and entry restrictions enforced, often at short notice, by governments around the world.
New route suspensions include several destinations in Australia and the United Kingdom, as well as all of its routes to the New York area and San Francisco. Emirates has been switching many routes to its more fuel-efficient Boeing 777-300 fleet and is considering grounding its entire Airbus A380 fleet.
Some routes will be cancelled until at least the end of June, while Emirates is hoping to reinstate some flights within the next two months.
Although passengers are still allowed to transit through Dubai International Airport (DXB) only Emirati citizens and residents are allowed to enter the country until further notice. Emirati citizens are also banned from leaving the UAE in an attempt to limit the spread of the Coronavirus.
On Sunday, the Ministry of Health and Prevention announced the closure of all private beaches, parks, swimming pools, movie theatres, and sports halls for at least two weeks. Schools are already closed across the country and the operation of restaurants and cafes will be regulated for the same period.
All Emirates cabin crew are being tested for COVID-19 after every flight and are expected to self-quarantine for two weeks on arrival in the country. Crew can be called out to operate another flight during the isolation period but this looks more and more unlikely as schedules are slashed.
All the destinations currently suspended as of Sunday, March 22:
Flights have been suspended to the following destinations:
- Abidjan (via Accra): From 21 March – 20 May
- Abuja: From 23 March – until further notice
- Accra: From 21 March – 20 May
- Adelaide: From 23 March – 20 May
- Ahmedabad: From 23 March – 28 March
- Algiers: From 18 March – 20 May
- Amman: From 17 March – 30 April
- Athens: From 23 March- 30 June
- Auckland (via Bali): From 29 March – 30 June
- Auckland: From 29 March – 30 June
- Baghdad: From 17 March – 30 April
- Bahrain: From 29 March – 30 June
- Bali: From 29 March – 30 June
- Bangkok–Hong Kong: From 9 March – 20 May
- Barcelona: From 20 March – 20 May
- Basra: From 17 March – 30 April
- Beijing: From 23 March – until further notice
- Beirut: From 17 March – 30 April
- Bengaluru: From 23 March – 28 March
- Bologna: From 13 March – 20 May
- Brisbane: From 29 March – 30 June
- Brussels: From 26 March – 30 June
- Budapest: From 13 March – 20 May
- Buenos Aires (via Rio de Janeiro): From 25 March – 20 May
- Cairo: From 19 March – 30 June
- Casablanca: From 16 March – 30 June
- Cebu/Clark: From 29 March- 30 June
- Chennai: From 22 March – 28 March
- Chicago: From 27 March – 30 June
- Christchurch (via Sydney): From 29 March – 30 June
- Cochin: From 23 March – 30 June
- Colombo (via Male): From 23 March – 30 June
- Conakry: From 22 March – 19 May
- Dakar (via Conakry): From 22 March – 19 May
- Dammam: From 09 March – 30 April
- Delhi: From 22 March – 28 March
- Dhaka: From 22 March – 31 March
- Dubai–Colombo: From 19 March – 25 March. During this time, passengers can only travel from Colombo to Dubai as directed by Sri Lankan authorities.
- Dubai–Hanoi: From 18 March – 22 March. During this time, passengers can only travel from Hanoi to Dubai as directed by Vietnamese authorities.
- Dubai–Ho Chi Minh: From 18 March – 24 March. During this time, passengers can only travel from Ho Chi Minh to Dubai as directed by Vietnamese authorities.
- Dubai–Mauritius: From 20 March – 2 April. During this time, passengers can only travel from Mauritius to Dubai as directed by Mauritian authorities.
- Durban: From 24 March – 20 May
- Dusseldorf: From 23 March – until further notice
- Edinburgh: From 25 March – 30 June
- Entebbe: From 23 March – 23 April
- Fort Lauderdale: From 13 March – 30 June
- Frankfurt: From 23 March – until further notice
- Geneva: From 23 March – 30 June
- Guangzhou: From 05 February – 30 April
- Hamburg: From 23 March – until further notice
- Hanoi: From 23 March – 30 June
- Harare (via Lusaka): From 20 March – 20 May
- Ho Chi Minh: From 25 March – 30 June
- Houston: From 27 March – 30 June
- Hyderabad: From 22 March – 28 March
- Islamabad: From 22 March – until further notice
- Istanbul (IST): From 17 March – 20 May
- Istanbul (SAW): From 17 March – 20 May
- Jeddah: From 16 March – 30 April
- Kabul: From 26 March – 30 June
- Karachi: From 22 March – until further notice
- Khartoum: From 18 March – 20 May
- Kolkata: From 23 March – 28 March
- Kuwait City: From 14 March – 30 April
- Lagos: From 23 March – until further notice
- Larnaca: From 17 March – 20 May
- Lahore: From 22 March – until further notice
- Lisbon: From 19 March – 30 April
- London Stansted: From 25 March – 30 June
- Luanda: From 22 March – 20 May
- Lusaka: From 20 March – 20 May
- Lyon: From 23 March – until further notice
- Madrid: From 18 March – 20 May
- Malta (via Larnaca): From 17 March – 20 May
- Mauritius: 25 March – 30 June
- Medina: From 05 March – 30 April
- Melbourne (via Singapore): From 23 March – 20 May
- Melbourne: From 29 March – 30 June
- Mexico City (via Barcelona): From 20 March – 20 May
- Milan: From 15 March – 20 May
- Moscow: From 30 March – 30 June
- Mumbai: From 22 March – 28 March
- Munich: From 23 March – until further notice
- Muscat: From 22 March – 05 April
- New York EWR (via Athens): From 13 March – 20 May
- New York EWR: From 24 March – until further notice
- New York JFK (via Milan): From 11 March – 20 May
- New York JFK: From 24 March – until further notice
- Newcastle: From 25 March – 30 June
- Nice: From 23 March – until further notice
- Orlando: From 24 March – 30 June
- Osaka: From 26 March – 30 June
- Oslo: From 28 March – 30 June
- Paris: From 23 March – until further notice
- Peshawar: From 22 March – until further notice
- Phnom Penh (via Bangkok): From 29 March – 30 June
- Phuket: From 29 March – 30 June
- Porto: From 17 March – 20 May
- Prague: From 25 March – 30 June
- Rio de Janeiro: From 25 March – 20 May
- Riyadh: From 16 March – 30 April
- Rome: From 15 March – 20 May
- Saint Petersburg: From 30 March – 30 June
- San Francisco: From 29 March – 30 June
- Santiago (via Rio de Janeiro): From 25 March – 20 May
- Seattle: From 26 March – 30 June
- Shanghai: From 05 February – 30 April
- Sialkot: From 22 March – until further notice
- Stockholm: From 26 March – 30 June
- Taipei: From 16 March – 20 May
- Tehran: From 26 February – 30 April
- Trivandrum: From 22 March – 28 March
- Tunis: From 18 March – 20 May
- Venice: From 12 March – 20 May
- Vienna: From 23 March – 30 June
- Warsaw: From 15 March – 20 May
