The UAE was added to Britain’s air travel corridor list on Thursday, as the UK government opened up more destinations for airline passengers despite the country being in the middle of its second Covid lockdown.
The move has led to a surge in flight bookings and a 20 per cent hike in ticket prices.
Travellers flying to the UK out of the UAE after 4am on November 14 will no longer need to self-isolate for 14 days, however, they must have spent at least two weeks in the country to qualify for the quarantine exemption, according the Department of Transport. The travel corridor extension also included Bahrain and Qatar.
“BAHRAIN, CHILE, ICELAND, CAMBODIA, LAOS, UAE, QATAR and TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS have been ADDED to the #TravelCorridor list. If you arrive from these countries after 4am on Saturday 14th November you will NOT need to self-isolate,” DoT minister Grant Shapps tweeted on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Mansoor Abulhoul, the UAE ambassador to the UK, said in a tweet that the air corridor “shows the strength of the British-Emirati relationship” and will “lay the foundation for when normal international travel resumes”.
“The UAE remains one of the safest places in the world against Covid-19 and continues to have one of the highest testing rates globally. Our hotels, restaurants and malls have been up and running since April and look forward to hosting many British visitors again soon.”
