Emirates extends flights ban from India to UAE until August 7

Passengers who have transited through India in the past 14 days will also be barred from travel

Patients sit on bed waiting to be moved to a hospital, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease in Ahmedabad, India. Reuters

A health worker takes a swab sample to test for Covid-19 at a drive-through testing facility at GMDC ground in Ahmedabad, India. AP Photo

People pray while attending a funeral service for a Covid-19 fatality at a burial ground in New Delhi, India. Bloomberg

A patient with breathing problem is helped to walk towards an ambulance as he is being shifted to a hospital in Ahmedabad, India. Reuters

Migrant workers queue up to enter a railway station to leave the city ahead of a lockdown to slow the spread of Covid-19 in Mumbai, India. Getty Images

Muslims wearing masks as a precaution against the coronavirus wait to break fast on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan at the Jama Mosque, in New Delhi, India. AP Photo

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The suspension on passenger flights from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to Dubai will be extended until at least August 7, Emirates airline announced on Wednesday.

The airline suspended passenger flights from all four countries on several occasions in recent weeks, with the latest ban originally scheduled to be lifted on July 28.

Emirates also said passengers who have transited through India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka in the past 14 days will not be allowed to travel from any other destination to the UAE.

UAE citizens, golden visa holders and members of diplomatic missions who comply with updated Covid-19 regulations are exempt from the ruling.

Emirates said it was experiencing "a greater volume of calls than anticipated" and urged passengers whose calls did not relate to travel within the next 48 hours to consider calling at a later date.

"If your flight has been cancelled or impacted by route suspensions due to Covid‑19 restrictions, you don’t need to call us immediately for rebooking. You can simply hold on to your Emirates ticket and when flights resume, get in touch with us or your booking office to make new travel plans," the Emirates statement read.

"Emirates regrets any inconvenience caused."

On Monday, Etihad Airways confirmed passenger flights to and from India would stay suspended until August 2.

The Abu Dhabi airline had previously said all flights from India were suspended until July 31, citing government directives.

Restrictions on passengers from India have been in place since late April, when daily Covid-19 case numbers soared to 400,000 and the highly infections Delta variant emerged.