Emirates Issues $1.4 Billion in Refunds

Emirates, the flag carrier airline of the United Arab Emirates, has so far issued more than AED 5 billion ($1.4 billion) in COVID-19-related travel refunds.

When the coronavirus pandemic was gathering pace in late March, Emirates as well as rival airline Etihad was forced to cancel all passenger flights into and out of the UAE. Massive demand for refunds ensued and so far around 1.4 million have been processed by Emirates, 90% of the backlog created.

The airline has invested in additional resources to further increase processing capability and has been working in conjunction with industry partners to facilitate refunds for flights booked through travel agents.

Emirates president Sir Tim Clark conceded that “each pending refund request is too many” but that the airline is trying their “utmost to clear the massive and unprecedented backlog” caused by the pandemic. Further, Mr. Clark stated that there were a few requests that take longer to manually review and complete.

The Dubai based carrier has gradually restored its schedule as global travel markets re-open. Flights to more than 80 cities around the world are currently in operation and passenger demand is slowly returning-the route to London is operating twice daily.

The UAE has now re-opened to international visitors, but COVID-19 PCR tests are mandatory for all inbound and transit passengers including citizens of the country, residents and tourists, irrespective of their travel origin.