Emirates has suspended flights to 30 destinations globally in order to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus, the media reported.
Initially, Emirates suspended all of its flights to China. However, since then the virus has found its way to other parts of Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and even Africa. So far, the carrier has suspended flights flying to Hong Kong, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, New York, and Poland.
From today, Emirates will suspend its flights flying to Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Cyprus, Malta and Portugal.
Earlier on Sunday, the Emirates announced its decision to suspend its daily flights between Dubai and Taipei.
With regard to the cancellation of flights due to the Covid-19 pandemic, an Emirates spokesperson told the media, “We have implemented fee waivers for changes to bookings made on or before March 31, 2020, and are offering bonus tier miles and reduced tier travel requirement to help Skywards members retain their status.”
The Covid-19 pandemic, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has severely impacted the global aviation sector. Earlier this month, Emirates announced the Covid-19 will impact its financial performance.
In order to deal with the financial losses, the carrier has stopped recruiting new employees. It has also asked its staff members to take a month of unpaid leave as flight cancellations heavily hamper its business.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), airlines in the Middle East are expected to suffer revenue losses of around $4.9 billion this year. So far, the aviation sector has already recorded losses of around $100 million.
The same report also revealed that carriers operating in the Asia-Pacific region could potentially lose revenue of around $27.8 billion due to the Covid-19 outbreak.