Emirates to resume flights
Leading international airline, Emirates, yesterday announced that it will resume flights to Harare on October 1.
Emirates suspended the service in March this year as part of measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 as many countries had closed their international airports.
The resumption of flights comes as the Government has announced plans to re-open the country’s borders to all people and traffic as part of measures to gradually relax lockdown restrictions that have been in place since
March.
The airline announced a resumption of services on other routes such as Johannesburg (October 1), Cape Town (October 1), Durban (October 4) in South Africa, and Mauritius (October 3).
Zimbabwe has potential to become an aviation hub given its centrality in the region.
The resumption of services on the above routes will expand Emirates’ global network to 92 destinations, as the airline gradually resumes its operations while prioritising the safety of its customers, crew and the communities it serves around the world.
Emirates’ African network will also now extend to 19 cities.
In a statement, Emirates said it will operate two weekly flights to Harare linked to its Lusaka service, which will allow passengers from the two destinations to connect to other destinations across Europe, the Far East, the Americas, Australasia and West Asia with one convenient stop in Dubai.
Emirates’ flight EK 714, which will be operated with a Boeing 777-300ER, will depart from Harare at 12:55 pm on Mondays and Fridays and, arriving in Lusaka at 2pm and then Dubai at 12:25 am the next day.
Flight EK 713 will depart from Dubai at 8:20 am on Thursdays and Sundays, then from Lusaka at 3pm before arriving in Harare at 4:05pm.
Emirates said it has implemented a comprehensive set of measures at every step of their customer’s journey to ensure the safety of its customers and employees on the ground and in the air.
These include the distribution of complimentary hygiene kits containing masks, gloves, hand sanitiser and antibacterial wipes to all customers.
The airline has committed to cover Covid-19 related medical expenses, free of cost, should any of its customers be diagnosed with Covid-19 during their travel.
“This cover is immediately effective for customers flying on Emirates until December 31, 2020, and is valid for 31 days from the moment they fly the first sector of their journey,” it said.
“This means Emirates customers can continue to benefit from the added assurance of this cover, even if they travel onwards to another city after arriving at their Emirates destination.”-herald.co.zw
