UAE and Turkey to resume flights for first time since pandemic

Dubai: Flights between Turkey and the United Arab Emirates are poised to resume within days for the first time since the pandemic forced authorities to shut airports earlier this year, according to people familiar with the matter.

Flydubai, which is owned by the Dubai government like Emirates, will restart flights between Dubai and Istanbul from Dec. 17, according to a company spokeswoman. Turkish Airlines plans to resume this route within days, said the people who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Turkish Airlines and Emirates withheld flights between their two hubs even as both carriers revived their pandemic-depleted schedules.

UAE's aviation regulator didn't respond to requests for comment.

The Dubai-Istanbul journey, which takes between 4 and 5 hours ranked among Emirates' busier routes. For Turkish Airlines, the corridor provided a welcome way to attract budget-minded passengers headed for western Europe or North America through the country's new Istanbul airport.