SYDNEY – Emirates has suspended flights to Australia’s three largest cities as the country further restricts international arrivals over fears of new virus strains.
The Dubai-based carrier is one of the last to maintain routes into and out of the country’s east coast throughout most of the pandemic, but yesterday evening told travellers that a handful of planned flights next week will be the last.
“Due to operational reasons, Emirates flights to/from Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne will be suspended until further notice,” said the airline on its website.
Emirates will still run two flights a week to Perth, but the cuts are another barrier for tens of thousands of stranded Australians still attempting to return home.
The country’s borders have effectively been closed since last March to curb the spread of Covid-19, with the government even limiting the number of citizens allowed to return.
Travel restrictions were further tightened last week, with arrival numbers slashed and all travellers into the country requiring a negative virus test before flying.
Making the changes, Prime Minister Scott Morrison cited a growing number of people in quarantine testing positive for new strains of the coronavirus.
Fears that a variant from Britain, believed to be more contagious, has leaked into Brisbane from hotel quarantine triggered a snap lockdown in the city last week.
“There are many unknowns and uncertainties in relation to the new strain, and so, that’s why this precautionary approach, we believe, is very sensible,” said Morrison.
Australia continues to deal relatively well with the virus, having recorded about 28,600 cases and 909 deaths in a population of 25 million. – AFP, January 16, 2021
