Dubai: International airlines operating out of the Gulf are gearing up to resume services as some European countries have opened their airspace for operations.
Paolo De Renzis, Area Commercial Manager for the Middle East at British Airways, told Gulf News that they are waiting for news about the UK's air space. A BA flight left Bahrain yesterday on the assumption that London's Heathrow airport will reopen, but news about its reopening hasn't come in yet.
"If it doesn't reopen, then the flight will be diverted to one of the North European stations," said De Renzis yesterday while the plane was in mid-flight.
De Renzis said that there are currently no British Airways planes in Dubai. "If the UK space opens tonight we will have a flight leaving London to Dubai at 9.45 UK time," he said yesterday.
"It's not our decision to open air space," he said. "But we can't wait until we bring people back home."
In a statement sent by Lufthansa yesterday, the airline stated that it will fly approximately 200 flights.
Long-haul flights
Fifty long-haul Lufthansa flights located abroad are carrying passengers back to Germany. Those aircrafts have taken off from their respective locations in Asia, North and South America, Middle East and Africa and will be arriving in Frankfurt, Munich and Dusseldorf, the statement said.
The majority of the long-haul flights will be in operation and the airline will expand its flights on domestic and European routes.
Passengers whose flights have been cancelled will be re-booked on other flights free of charge if their booking is made by December 31, the statement said. Passengers who wish to cancel their ticket will receive a refund.
Lufthansa expects customers to face "considerable wait times" due to the current circumstances.
"It is impossible to further predict the development of the situation in the European airspace. We frequently monitor the current situation and are in close contact with respective authorities, departments and airports," the statement said.
