Emirates and Etihad will temporarily suspend all passenger services from March 25 for an initial period of two weeks.

This comes after the UAE government’s directive to suspend all inbound, outbound and transit passenger flights in the region.

Emirates had already suspended most of its passenger flights.

Passengers are advised not to call to cancel their bookings due to high call volumes. Emirates will not be charging no-show fees.

Instead, passengers are asked to complete the travel voucher request form here to rebook the flight at a later date.

This applies to customers with tickets issued on/before March 31 who have been impacted by travel bans, government advisory against non-essential travel, quarantine requirements, mandatory lockdowns and flight cancellations.

Etihad will also suspend flights to, from and via Abu Dhabi. Customers will be notified if their flight is cancelled, and should visit Etihad webpage if impacted.

Both carriers are also waiving change fees for customers rebooking flights for travel on or before 30 June, 2020. Read about Etihad’s measures here.

Tony Douglas, group CEO of Etihad Aviation Group, said:

“These are unprecedented times and unprecedented decisions are being made by governments, authorities and companies, including Etihad, to contain the spread of the coronavirus and to help minimise its effects around the world.”

Both carriers hope to resume services as soon as possible.