COVID-19's Delta+ variant delays UAE and global airlines' 'summer of hope' | Aviation – Gulf News
The ‘summer of hope’ for UAE and other global airlines is yet to take-off, with the ‘Delta plus’ variant of the COVID-19 bringing about further delays. The variant, which has become more apparent in India’s latest COVID-19 infections, has sparked concerns of a third wave – and forcing governments everywhere to bring back stringent measures.
“People from high variant locations, including India and the UK, are going to struggle to be allowed into other countries while there are uneven rates of vaccination around the world,” said Andrew Charlton, an aviation analyst. “We are living in a global Petri dish - and we need to be patient.”
That’s not it, UAE’s recently established travel corridors – which allow passengers to fly quarantine free – could be affected as well. The Delta plus variant “will totally undermine the hastily built travel corridors and things will remain less than ideal,” said Charlton.
Emirates and Etihad have extended their ban on flights from a handful of countries, including India. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has suspended flights from four countries, including the UAE, due to COVID-19 concerns. This is bad news for UAE’s airlines who were looking to bring back almost 2019-level air connectivity levels by the end of this year.
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