Coronavirus: UAE seeks clarity from Denmark on Dubai flights suspension

Danish government decides to pause flights from Dubai to Copenhagen for five days

Tourists arrive at Dubai airport in the United Arab Emirates on July 8, 2020, as the country reopened its doors to international visitors in the hope of reviving its tourism industry after a nearly foShow more

The UAE government has rejected media reports suggesting that coronavirus test results obtained when leaving Dubai could be unreliable.

The UAE's response comes after Denmark suspended flights from Dubai for five days, while it evaluates the incidence of Covid-19 among passengers arriving from the emirate.

Faisal Lutfi, Assistant Undersecretary for Consular Affairs at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, said each testing centre in the UAE was regularly inspected to ensure that strict safety measures were adhered to.

“Severe penalties are imposed for non-compliance with international standards to ensure the highest level of quality in testing,” he said.

“Communication is currently under way with the Danish authorities to clarify the details and cases behind the decision, in order to guarantee the safety and security of all travellers.”

Danish Transport Minister Benny Engelbrecht said at least one citizen had brought the South African variant of the virus back from Dubai, which led to the suspension of flights from Dubai on Thursday night.

He said the decision to suspend the flights was made to allow authorities to “be absolutely sure there are no problems”.

Earlier this month, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised against all travel outside the country, including for business trips.

Emirates said passengers who had booked to fly on flights from Dubai to Copenhagen, the Danish capital, would not be allowed to travel.

“In accordance with the latest directive from Danish authorities, customers booked on Emirates flight EK 151 with final destination of Copenhagen, will not be accepted for travel at their point of origin between January 22 and 26,” the airline said.

“Affected customers are advised to contact their travel agent or local Emirates office for rebooking or refund options. Emirates apologises for the inconvenience caused.

Emirates' flights from Copenhagen to Dubai are unaffected, it said.