UK BAN ON ENTRIES FROM QATAR AND ETHIOPIA IMPACTS HEAVILY ON AIR TRANSPORT
(Posted 19th March 2021)
Ethiopian Airlines has made adjustments to their schedule for flights to London and Manchester in the UK, following new restrictions imposed by the UK government for passenger entries coming from or via Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.
As of yesterday has the UK added Ethiopia to the list of ‘Red Zone‘ countries which are affected by the new regulations.
Ethiopian will continue to operate cargo flights into the UK and, what the airline calls ‘essential‘ outbound flights from the UK to Addis Ababa and the airline’s network beyond in Africa and Asia.
The updated information is available via https://www.gov.uk/guidance/transport-measures-to-protect-the-uk-from-variant-strains-of-covid-19
Qatar Airways too is affected by the new UK measures and the airline has issued the following statement in response:
‘For passengers affected by UK Government Travel Restrictions who have already commenced their journey, in addition to our Travel with Confidence offering, we are working with our airline partners, including British Airways, on more options to get you home reliably. More information will be shared soon.
For passengers who are yet to start their journey, we offer options including date and route changes and ticket refunds. Passengers can still travel from the UK with Qatar Airways and may return on partner airlines where available including British Airways.
If you are travelling to the UK between today, 19th of March and the 18th of May, you may be rebooked onto flights operated by partner airlines, including British Airways, where available. For details, visit our Travel with Confidence page.
Please visit www.qatarairways.com and keep your latest contact details updated through our Manage Booking section. If you have booked through a Travel Agent, please contact them directly for more information.
Qatar Airways is continuing to evaluate additional options which will be communicated as and when available. Please visit our Travel with Confidence page for details.‘
The new regulations if not outright ban met with sharp critique from airlines, airline associations, travel organizations and affected individuals all of whom quote other measures available instead of an outright ban on passenger flight arrivals from such global connectivity hubs like Doha and Addis Ababa.
