Emirates extends free insurance to cover passengers if trips get cancelled owing to Covid-19

Passengers flying in any class will automatically be covered if their trip is cancelled, extended or abandoned as a result of the coronavirus

The new multi-risk travel insurance and Covid-19 cover will automatically apply to all Emirates tickets purchased from Tuesday, December 1. Courtesy Emirates

In an industry first, Emirates has launched free multi-risk travel insurance for customers, on top of its current Covid-19 cover.

Provided by AIG Travel, the new policy will automatically apply to all Emirates tickets purchased from Tuesday, December 1.

Emirates customers will be covered when they fly to any destination, in any class of travel. This extends to Emirates codeshare flights operated by partner airlines, as long as the ticket number starts with 176. Customers do not have to fill in any forms or register before they travel.

The airline says it is witnessing strong demand for travel around the world heading into the winter holidays. Courtesy Emirates

Highlights of the new cover include out-of-country emergency medical expenses and emergency medical evacuation of up to $500,000. This is valid for Covid-19 cases, if the virus is contracted during the trip, as well as other medical emergencies.

Also included is up to $7,500 of trip cancellation cover for non-refundable costs, if the traveller or a relative (as defined in the policy) is unable to travel because they are diagnosed with Covid-19 before the scheduled departure date, or for other specified reasons.

There is also trip curtailment cover of up to $7,500 for non-refundable trip costs and additional costs for passengers to return to their country of residence, if they or a relative contracts Covid-19 or any other critical illness while abroad.

We aim to give our customers even more confidence in making their travel plans this winter and moving into 2021

If a passenger fails a Covid-19-related test or medical screening at the airport and is required to abandon their trip, they will be eligible to receive up to $7,500. Passengers can also get $150 per day, for up to 14 consecutive days, if they test positive for Covid-19 and are unexpectedly placed into a mandatory quarantine outside their country of residence.

"Emirates was the first airline to offer complimentary global Covid-19 cover for travellers back in July, and the response from our customers has been tremendously encouraging," said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates.

"We've not rested on our laurels and instead continued to look at how we can offer our customers an even better proposition," he continued.

"We see a strong appetite for travel around the world, especially heading into the winter holidays as people seek warmer climates and family destinations like Dubai. By launching this new multi-risk travel insurance and Covid-19 cover, we aim to give our customers even more confidence in making their travel plans this winter and moving into 2021.”