Sudan
UAE airlines have decided to give it more time before relaunching services to Sudan. Image Credit: AP

Dubai: UAE carriers Emirates, flydubai and Air Arabia have extended their flight cancellations to Sundan due to the deteriorating civil unrest situation in Khartoum. Emirates has cancelled all flights to and from Khartoum (EK733/EK734) from April 15 until May 31.

“Customers connecting on Emirates or flydubai flights to Sudan will not be accepted for travel at the point of origin until further notice,” said the airline on Thursday. The sister carrier, flydubai, too has extended cancellations until May 31.

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“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and revise our schedule accordingly. The safety of our crew and passengers is our number one priority; we apologise for the inconvenience caused to our passengers’ travel schedules,” an airline spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, bookings on Sharjah’s Air Arabia show tickets are available to Khartoum only after May 16. Dubai Airports stated on Wednesday announced support for passengers affected by the flight cancellations who cannot continue their journey to Khartoum. A Dubai Airports spokesperson said the passengers had flown into the emirate from different countries.

“They have been offered temporary accommodation until they can travel to Khartoum or they choose to fly to other destinations,” the spokesperson said. “Dubai Airports places the highest priority on the safety of passengers and crew. We are closely monitoring the situation in Sudan to determine the course of action in the coming days.”

According to the UN health agency Doctors Syndicate, nearly 300 people have been killed since the civil unrest broke out five days ago, but the toll is likely higher.