Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has confirmed that it is to relaunch passenger flights to London Heathrow from Tuesday.
However, it has been stressed that quarantine rules will apply as the UAE remains on the UK’s red-list for travel.
A spokesperson told Arabian Business: “Only British and Irish nationals, and passengers with residence rights for the UK will be permitted to travel into the UK from a red-list country.”
All passengers will be required to quarantine for 10 full days in a managed quarantine hotel – at a cost of £1,750 per adult – take a Covid-19 PCR test on or before day two and on or after day eight of quarantining, and follow the national restrictions.
While all guests travelling from the UAE must pre-book a managed quarantine hotel within a 14-day period before arrival into London Heathrow.
The spokesperson added: “Flights departing the UK remain unaffected and continue to operate as scheduled from Terminal 2. Passengers arriving in Abu Dhabi can enjoy quarantine-free travel as the UK is on Abu Dhabi’s green list.”
It was announced on Thursday last week that the UAE would remain on Britain’s travel red list for the foreseeable future, in what industry experts described as a “hammer blow” for the local tourism and business community.
In an unprecedented move, no new countries were added to the UK’s green list and Portugal – a former green list destination – was relegated to Britain’s red list.
Bahrain, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Costa Rica, Sudan, Trinidad and Tobago and Afghanistan were also added to the Red List.
Grant Shapps, the UK’s Secretary of State for Transport
Last month Arabian Business wrote an open letter to Grant Shapps, the UK’s Secretary of State for Transport, urging him to rethink the UAE’s Red List status so thousands of British families who live in the Emirates could reconnect with their loved ones, and so business and tourism travel could begin again.
A UK Department for Transport spokesperson told Arabian Business it was in “constant dialogue” with global partners, though the British government would not be drawn on details of any UAE talks.
“We wouldn’t confirm any talks we are having with any individual countries… we are always talking to all international partners. We are in constant communication with global partners and the science is always changing.
“We would never comment on the green list as the science is changing daily. The Joint Biosecurity Centre makes suggestions and we look at that every three weeks. The traffic light system is based on science data.”
John Grant, partner at consultancy firm MIDAS Aviation
John Grant, partner at consultancy firm MIDAS Aviation, said Britain’s decision to move no countries forward against its traffic light system is likely to lead to “even greater frustration among the UK population desperate for holidays and to escape the UK.”
“The UK airline industry is fed up of being held to subjective decisions by elected representatives who have no understanding of the industry and the impact of their decision making on people’s lives,” Grant said.The analyst said the position of the UAE on the red list could only be explained by the potential for connectivity to the Indian sub-continent.
“Since the UK Government professes to have world class test, track and trace processes in place that seems an equally strange contradiction that will anger both expatriates and holidaymakers,” he said.
Follow us on
