Emirates suspends passenger services from Pakistan after announcement of COVID-19 cases

Dubai: Emirates has temporarily suspended passenger services from Pakistan with effect from today, the airline told Gulf News.

The decision follows the announcement of some COVID-19 positive cases among passengers flying on Emirates to Hong Kong on Saturday.

In a statement, Emirates said, “Following the announcement of positive COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong relating to certain passengers who travelled on our flights, Emirates has taken the decision to temporarily suspend passenger services from Pakistan, from June 24, 04:00 Pakistan LT. We are co-ordinating closely with the various authorities and will review and implement any required additional measures to satisfy all parties before we resume services from Pakistan. The health and safety of our crew, customers and communities remains our top priority. Emirates has put in place a comprehensive set of measures at every step of the customer journey on the ground and in the air, to minimise the risk of infection spread. More information on these measures can be found on: www.emirates.com/yoursafety.”

Reports on Tuesday claimed that the coronavirus cases were all returnees from Pakistan.

The airline said, “We remain committed to serving our customers in Pakistan and are working hard to resume services as soon as possible. In the meantime, Emirates will continue to operate repatriation flights into Pakistan as per the announced schedule, and operate cargo services that support the trade and movement of goods between Pakistan, UAE and our global network.”