After being suspended from January 2021, Emirates airlines is all set to resume services to the UK starting today, 8 June. However, the airline will be accepting only eligible travellers to the UK. Emirates will operate flights to London Heathrow from June 8, and to Birmingham starting from June 15, 2021. All travel restriction remain in place and the airline urged travellers to check the requirements in the UK prior to departure.
Also read: ‘Unsure If UAE Will Come Off UK’s Red List In June’: Dubai Airports CEO
Who Can Travel From UAE To The UK?
As of now, general passenger travel from the UAE to the UK remains suspended. British and Irish citizens and people with residency rights can now enter the UK, with certain restrictions in place.
The UAE continues to remain on the UK’s red list. However, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said that starting 8 June, direct flights can arrive in England from the UAE at dedicated terminals in Heathrow and Birmingham.
Travellers arriving from the UAE to the UK must take a Covid-19 test prior to departure. In addition, they must also pre-book their hotel quarantine stay. Two more tests will be taken during their quarantine period. British expats traveling form the UAE must stay at a government-mandated hotel for 10 days. The cost of this would be around AED 9,000 per adult.
When Will The UAE Come Off The UK’s Red List?
The UAE has been on UK’s red list ever since January 2021. Despite UAE’s efforts to contain the spread of the virus, the country’s aviation authorities are yet to receive a green signal from the UK. Being on UK’s red list would mean that travellers from the UAE must adhere to lengthy quarantine measures. This has been a burning issue for a while now.
Also read: UAE Eases Travel Protocols For Vaccinated Residents
Recently, Paul Griffiths, Dubai Airports Head said that the UK plans to review the countries on its red list on 7 June. However, he said he did not expect the UAE to be removed from the UK’s red list.
Regarding the UK, Griffiths told CNN: “The problem of course is that in the UK the situation is not looking great. They were looking so well in containing the spread of Covid-19, but of course recently that situation seems to be rather more challenging (due to a recent spike in Covid-19 cases due to the Indian variant)”.
Furthermore, the UAE likely to strike a travel corridor with EU and the US, and Griffiths said that this step might give the UK the courage to remove the UAE from their red list. The revised green, amber and red lists will be announced on June 3, to be implemented from June 7.
Griffiths also expressed his disappointment over the fact that UAE had been added onto UK’s red list despite the fact that the UAE is actually doing a better job in containing the pandemic, as opposed to a few others on the green list. “We were very disappointed when we actually had an out and out ban and were put on the UK red list,” said Paul Griffiths.
Why Is The UAE On UK’s Red List?
One of the possible reasons why the UAE is put on the UK’s red list, could be because the country is an international hub for transit passengers. Most other countries on the green list aren’t big hubs, excluding Portugal and Brazil. Australia and New Zealand are further South, while Singapore already has a list of quarantine rules in place.