Etihad has delayed the resumption of passenger flights from May 1 to May 16. Depending on regulatory measures, the airline hopes to gradually resume passenger services on June 16.
Due to outbreaks of the Covid-19 in the whole world, aviation and travel industries were made to shut the operation. Etihad’s plan to resume limited passenger flights from June 16 still can be changed. The final decision will be announced after the withdrawal of health and safety restrictions around the globe.
An Etihad spokesperson said, “To minimize any potential disruption or discomfort to customers, only flexible and refundable fares will be offered after April 29, 2020, for travel between June 16 and August 31, 2020″.
However, the Abu Dhabi-based airline will continue repatriation flights. These one-way journeys are run to provide foreign citizens to return to their home countries, and at the same time, UAE nationals can travel back to the UAE on the return leg.
Previously, Etihad added several new destinations to its repatriation flights. The list of flights includes Abu Dhabi to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, London Heathrow, Manila, Melbourne, New York JFK, Seoul Incheon, Singapore, Tokyo Narita and Zurich.
Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2, also known as COVID-19) is a new strain of coronavirus which is causing illness in humans and animals. Most people infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus will feel mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without any special treatment. Older people, as well as those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, cancer or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness, and require immediate assistance. Novel Coronavirus was first identified in a cluster with pneumonia symptoms in Wuhan city, Hubei province of China, quickly spreading around the world. On early March 2020, the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic had officially started, becoming the defining global health crisis of our time. Today, it is the greatest challenge people have faced since World War II, worsened by subsequent lockdowns of whole countries, collapse of entire industries, and a major economic recession.