Dubai remains open to UK flights but for how long?

Dubai remains open to UK flights but for how long?

As countries across the world impose bans on UK travel links amid fears of a new Covid-19 strain, experts say the UAE is likely to follow suit but it might be one of the last to do so.

The infectious coronavirus mutation which has taken hold in London and parts of southeast England is causing global panic, leading to over 40 countries suspending flights to and from the UK, including Kuwait, Jordan and Turkey. Saudi Arabia and Oman have also banned all international flights.

Oman says it is closing its air, sea and land ports for a period of one week from early Tuesday morning

Britons are now subject to strict travel guidelines, which could impact traffic levels to the UAE, according to Olivier Ponti, VP Insights at ForwardKeys.

Despite initial optimum for the UK-UAE air traffic route in the first half of November, when the UAE was added to the UK's list of quarantine-free countries and flight bookings rose to over 50 percent of the levels in the equivalent period in 2019, Ponti said the impending outlook is challenging.

“The dramatic news emanating from the UK over the weekend – of a more transmissible strain of Covid-19 and the immediate imposition of stringent travel