Australians stranded in Europe have been plunged into further despair after Emirates suspended outbound flights from the United Kingdom.
Thousands of Australian citizens could be impacted by the decision, which came in response to the British government banning incoming passenger flights from the United Arab Emirates.
Visitors arriving from the United Arab Emirates, Burundi and Rwanda will be banned from entering the United Kingdom from 11pm on Thursday as Prime Minister Boris Johnson moves to prevent the spread of a highly contagious COVID-19 variant first identified in South Africa.
The order comes after UK authorities said the new variant may have spread to the country.
Carriers from the UAE are among the few airlines still flying to Australia due to caps on returning overseas arrivals and an almost year-long international travel ban.
The Australian consulate in London has since tweeted the government was working with Emirates and Etihad to “understand the impact on outbound travel from the UK”.
Tweet from @AusHouseLondon
The key transit hub of Dubai is now off limits until further notice.
Etihad could soon follow suit, ruling Abu Dhabi out of bounds too.
The ban represents a significant blow to thousands of Australians stranded in the United Kingdom not long after Emirates announced it would cancel services to Australia due to reduced caps on returning travellers.
The airline revoked the decision days after announcing it, but not before hundreds of Australians had their flights home cancelled.
Approximately 38,000 Australians stuck overseas have told the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) they wish to return, according to government figures.
“We have a Prime Minister who told people that he would get them home by Christmas last year – he did not do so,” Penny Wong, Labor’s spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, told ABC News on Friday.
“We have a government led by Mr Morrison which has refused to step up to ensure a safe national quarantine system, and until he does that, we will continue to see these sorts of events which prevent Australian citizens from coming home.”
-with AAP
The post Fresh blow for stranded Australians as UK bans flights from the UAE appeared first on The New Daily.
**Know benefits of facebook marketing --http://bit.ly/2RgChw3