Emirates will resume passenger flights to Sydney from January 25, Melbourne from January 26, and to Brisbane from January 28.
Passenger flights to Perth, as well as cargo operations to all Australian points, continue as scheduled.
Emirates, in a statement, said that it “regrets the inconvenience caused to our customers in the period where we had to temporarily suspend our services.”
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“The pandemic has made international flying incredibly challenging, and the dynamic restrictions and requirements implemented by the different state authorities in Australia had added complexity and burden to our operations.
“This led us to temporarily suspend passenger services while we engaged with various stakeholders regarding crew protocols and other operational details.
“Following this engagement, we’ve made the decision to resume services with adjustments to our operations, so that we can continue serving our customers.
It adds that “its crew (cabin crew and pilots) operating on Australian flights were already mandated to take a PCR test 48 hours prior to the scheduled flight departure from Dubai.
“With the latest adjustments, these tests will be administered in their homes, and our crew will also observe self-quarantine in their homes from the moment of testing until their flight.
“Combined with the hotel quarantine and tests on arrival in Australia, this effectively means that our crew is in a “bubble” from 48 hours before their flight, until they return to Dubai. This is an added burden for our crew as individuals, for our rostering, and operating costs, and therefore this decision was made after careful review and consideration. We are grateful that our wonderful crew teams are very understanding and supportive, which has enabled us to quickly restart passenger services.”
Emirates said that “the safety of our customers and colleagues is always our top priority, and as always, we work closely with the authorities and health experts in this regard.
“Emirates is keen to serve the many Australians waiting to get home, and we hope that commercial and operational conditions will allow us to continue doing so.
“Our commitment to Australia remains firm as ever, and this has not changed in the 25 years since Emirates began serving the community.”
