Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but the Civil Aviation Authority Thailand has just annonced (16/5/20) that its tempoary ban on passanger flights into Thailand has been extended to the 30/6/20, so there will be no EK flight DXB-BKK at least until 1/7/20.

Seems they have updated and expanded and only flying where they can at present. All seem to be 777's which would make sense as expect low pax load so can load more with cargo. I also assume they are using these flights as dry runs for staff training to get everyone upto scratch. I guess they are hoping asia starts to open as then have a viable network, at present only Longhall from EU/US seems to be AUS still. I would say mid June expect India or Pakistan to open, will probably retain quaruntine measures but if EK can do it's rapid testing and allow people to bypass the 14 day orders, it may just have a way to start flying.

United Kingdom London London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
Germany Frankfurt Rhein-Main International Airport (FRA)
France Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG)
Italy Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP)
Spain Madrid Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD)
USA Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
Canada Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)
Australia Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD)
Australia Melbourne Melbourne Tullamarine Airport (MEL)

Emirates restarts regular flights with updated safety rules, including free hygiene kits for all passengers.

https://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle...gers-1.1022729

https://gulfnews.com/uae/emirates-st...ets-1.71615822

This sounds like a sensible and achievable set of rules. :tu:

Thank god they are not wearing these dreadful full personal protective equipment (PPE) suits like the crews on AirAsia, QR, Philippine Airlines and others! That would really put me off flying!

More flights to resume June 15, 16, 17. J and Y on most destinations, F only on a very select few routes (AU/US/YYZ) - sorry, [MENTION=864025]BadoRas[/MENTION]!

The good news is that I always fly out of AU, bad news is that the Australian government probably won't let anyone fly out of the country until this time next year.

Shed is painted, now for splitting firewood! The good thing is that life is never dull. 10 acres of land always gives you something to do every day.

Emirates only seasonal route in whole network (between DXB and ZAG) is postponed again.

Do you guys think that Emirates will come back to Croatia on August 1st? I would not be surprised if they cancel this (only) seasonal route in the whole network for this year...

From all the messy reporting and weird English used by the UAE-based news sites, it is still not clear if UAE residents are allowed to return. Called up and asked Emirates about it and they are saying it's no problem but the fact that there are thousands of residents stuck abroad who can't come back because they need permission from Tawajudi or Smart Services or whatever they call it now makes me believe otherwise. Maybe it's a question better addressed to immigration but they are all closed for Eid.

Anyone have any insight on this?

It'd suck buying a ticket with Emirates' assurance that everything is fine, flying out to some country and then being stuck there because Emirates won't accept you without the permission of the MOFA...and of course your ticket won't be refunded because Emirates is only responsible for the flight - immigration is the passenger's responsibility.

don't worry about this, UAE citizen won't drive taxi ad work in gas station. they must let those residents back. just need to wait the gov back after holiday.

Register here:

https://beta.smartservices.ica.gov.a...t/default.html

After you get approval, you will be allowed to enter the country.

Have several friends trying to get approval for a while now - no success. Some with family in the UAE, some even in the “essential workers” category. One of them is even stuck in Oman (doesn’t need a plane) but still not allowed to return.

Anyway, it’s just not very honest for them to strongly market the resumption of flights without clear guidance on this matter.

Seems clear here about the need for permission https://www.emirates.com/uk/english/...ying-you-home/
"If you are considering booking one of these flights to get back to Dubai, you will need to ensure you have The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) approval via the UAE Twajudi Resident service, before you book your flight."

I would say assume they are typically clearing VIP's first, then based on capacity to quaruntine and sectors. They don't want too many people back to no jobs but equally I would say expect it to ramp up in June as DXB wants to open in July I believe.

The form was changed recently. Earlier it required multiple supporting documents to prove that you needed to return to the country urgently.

However, they are now allowing anyone with a valid residence visa to apply. The only requirements now are ID documents.

That doesnt change the fact that many are rejected for no apparent reason