Emirates is to resume passenger flights to the Seychelles from August 1 as the country reopens to international tourists.
The Dubai airline will provide five flights a week with a Boeing 777-300ER, while also increasing its service to the Maldives from five to six flights a week from August 4.
Emirates' route network is gradually reopening since it was closed in March owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Seychelles takes the number of destinations Emirates will be flying to on August 1 to 63 (see slideshow below) and is the eighth Asian location along with Islamabad, Colombo, Kabul, Male, Lahore, Dhaka and Karachi.
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MIDDLE EAST: Amman, Jordan. All images courtesy Unsplash unless otherwise stated -
The corniche in Beirut. Lebanon faces its worst financial crisis since 1943. Alamy -
Bahrain -
Tehran, Iran -
Kuwait. Unsplash -
Basra, Iraq. Unsplash -
The Iraq Museum in Baghdad, Iraq. AFP -
Dubai, United Arab Emirates. AFP -
AUSTRALASIA: Sydney, Australia -
Perth, Australia. Getty Images -
Brisbane, Australia -
Auckland, New Zealand -
ASIA: Islamabad, Pakistan. EPA -
Colombo, Sri Lanka -
Bangkok, Thailand -
Peshawar, Pakistan. EPA -
Sialkot, Pakistan. Unsplash -
Kabul, Afghanistan -
Male, Maldives -
Lahore, Pakistan -
Dhaka, Bangladesh. -
Karachi, Pakistan. EPA -
The Seychelles. Unsplash -
EUROPE: Amsterdam, The Netherlands -
Brussels, Belgium -
Lisbon, Portugal. Unsplash -
Copenhagen, Denmark -
Athens, Greece -
Geneva, Switzerland -
Barcelona, Spain -
London, UK -
Dublin, Ireland -
Glasgow, Scotland -
Frankfurt, Germany -
Larnaca, Cyprus. Pictured is Ayia Napa, 45 minutes away. -
Milan, Italy -
Madrid, Spain -
Manchester, UK -
Paris, France -
Munich, Germany -
Oslo, Norway -
Vienna, Austria -
Stockholm, Sweden -
Zurich, Switzerland -
Prague, Czech Republic -
Rome, Italy. EPA -
FAR EAST: Hanoi, Vietnam -
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam -
Hong Kong. -
Guangzhou, China. -
Singapore. -
Jakarta, Indonesia. -
Osaka, Japan. -
Taipei, Taiwan. -
Manila, Philippines. -
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. -
Clark, the Philippines. Getty Images -
Tokyo, Japan -
Pandanon Island, Cebu, Philippines. Unsplash -
Seoul, South Korea -
AMERICAS: Washington, US. -
New York, US -
Houston, Texas. Unsplash -
Toronto, Canada -
Boston, US -
Los Angeles, US -
Chicago, US -
Sao Paulo, Brazil. -
AFRICA: Tunis, Tunisia -
Cairo, Egypt -
National Park, Nairobi, Kenya. Unsplash -
Accra, Ghana. Courtesy Marriott International -
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia -
South Luangwa national park in Zambia. -
Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania -
Dakar, Senegal. Reuters -
Khartoum, Sudan. Reuters
It is also flying to destinations in the Far East, Europe, the Americas, Australasia and the Middle East.
The Seychelles has been putting measures in place readying for the safe return of tourists to the country.
Its international airport conducted a drill on Monday and about 97 tourism establishments have been certified to welcome back holidaymakers, Seychelles News Agency reported.
Tourism is the bedrock of the Seychelles' economy and the sector has been badly affected since the onset of the pandemic.
Do you need a Covid test for the Seychelles?
To visit the Seychelles, travellers must provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test conducted within 72 hours of the date of travel. This only applies to visitors on a list of countries considered low to medium risk – the UAE is on this list of 33 nations. All other visitors cannot yet enter the Seychelles.
What is the ticket policy for Emirates flights?
Emirates has revised its booking policies so that customers whose travel plans are disrupted by Covid-19 restrictions can hold on to their ticket for up to 24 months.
They can alternatively request travel vouchers to offset against future Emirates purchases, or request refunds using an online form on the Emirates website or via their travel booking agent.
