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UNITED Arab Emirates flagship airline, Emirates, has announced the resumption of passenger services to Lusaka, Zambia, with two weekly flights to and from Dubai effective September 4, 2020.

According to a statement from the airline, service for the joint Dubai-Lusaka-Harare route, which was suspended in March this year due to the Coronavirus outbreak, is set to resume this week, but only for Lusaka.

Travellers from Zimbabwe who had enjoyed direct flights to the Middle East’s premier entrepôt for the past seven years, will have to wait a bit longer as Emirates flights into the country remain suspended due to the ongoing Covid-19 travel restrictions.

“Harare, Zimbabwe is among a number of cities where Emirates operations remain suspended due to ongoing travel or flight restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic,” said the airline.

Local travellers have, however, been assured of the airline’s return to the country.

“Emirates remains committed to Zimbabwe and we hope to resume operations to Harare when it is commercially and operationally feasible to do so. We will make a formal announcement if the situation evolves in this regard.”

The Dubai-Lusaka service will offer Emirates customers in Zambia the opportunity to travel to Dubai, as well as an array of onward connections to Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and the Americas through the airline’s Dubai hub.

Flights to Lusaka will be operated with a Boeing 777-300ER. Starting from 4 September, Emirates will serve Lusaka on Fridays and Sundays, said the company. The addition of Lusaka also broadens Emirates’ reach into Africa with nine destinations served, boosting the airline’s global network to 79 cities.

“Ensuring the safety of travellers, visitors, and the community, Covid-19 PCR tests are mandatory for all inbound and transit passengers arriving in Dubai (and the UAE), including UAE citizens, residents and tourists, irrespective of the country they are coming from,” it said

The airline is also offering free global cover for Covid-19 related costs for the convenience of their customers who can now travel with confidence as the airline has committed to cover their Covid-19 related medical expenses, free of cost, should they be diagnosed with Covid-19 during their travel while they are away from home.

“This cover is immediately effective for customers flying on Emirates until 31 October, 2020 (first flight to be completed on or before 31 October 2020), and is valid for 31 days from the moment they fly the first sector of their journey.

“This means Emirates customers can continue to benefit from the added assurance of this cover, even if they travel onwards to another city after arriving at their Emirates destination.”