Emirates plans to resume flying a limited number of passenger services on 6 April, having received approval from UAE authorities.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of Dubai Civil Aviation as well as chairman and chief executive of Emirates, has tweeted that “these flights will initially carry travellers outbound from the UAE”, adding: “Details will be announced soon.”
He says the carrier is looking forward to a “gradual resumption of passenger services” as travel and operational restrictions are lifted, “including assurance of health measures to safeguard our people and customers”.
The Middle East carrier announced on 31 March that the government of Dubai was injecting liquidity into the carrier as it battled the coronavirus crisis.
It was forced to suspend all passenger services from 25 March following a decision by the UAE to ground flights.
In an effort to cut costs, the group has frozen discretionary expenditure and new hiring, offered unpaid leave, and reduced basic salaries. The airline’s president, Tim Clark, is forgoing his earnings for three months.
Cirium’s fleet data shows that Emirates has 115 Airbus A380s and 155 Boeing 777s. All of the A380s and 125 of the 777s are listed as being in storage.
