Emirates and Etihad to operate extra Umrah flights

Dubai: Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways will operate extra flights to Saudi Arabia to cope with the rush of Umrah pilgrims during the holy month of Ramadan.

Emirates will operate 47 extra flights from Dubai to Jeddah, while Etihad will offer an additional 24 flights between Abu Dhabi and Jeddah. Etihad will also add special flights to Madinah.

“These additional services, starting from today until 15th October, can be accessed by travellers holding a valid Umrah visa,'' Emirates said in a statement on Monday.

Etihad said the extra services will operate between September 1 and October 2 and build on the 28 return flights the airline operates every week to its Saudi destinations of Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.