• Emirates outstation airport team in Prague said see you soon to the last Emirates service to depart the airport before the UAE's temporary flight suspension took effect. Courtesy Emirates
    Emirates outstation airport team in Prague said see you soon to the last Emirates service to depart the airport before the UAE's temporary flight suspension took effect. Courtesy Emirates
  • Waving farewell to the last Emirates passengers service to leave Seoul ahead of the tempoary suspension of all passenger flights in and out of the UAE. Courtesy Emirates
    Waving farewell to the last Emirates passengers service to leave Seoul ahead of the tempoary suspension of all passenger flights in and out of the UAE. Courtesy Emirates
  • An Emirates outstation team at Newark says farewell to the last passenger flight to leave New York for Dubai ahead of the UAE flight suspension.
    An Emirates outstation team at Newark says farewell to the last passenger flight to leave New York for Dubai ahead of the UAE flight suspension.
  • Emirates’ outstation airport teams from Zurich sent of their last passenger flight before the UAE's temporary flights suspension took effect. Courtesy Emirates
    Emirates’ outstation airport teams from Zurich sent of their last passenger flight before the UAE's temporary flights suspension took effect. Courtesy Emirates
  • The outstation airport team at London Stansted sent of the last Emirates passenger flight before the UAE's temporary flight suspension took effect. Courtesy Emirates
    The outstation airport team at London Stansted sent of the last Emirates passenger flight before the UAE's temporary flight suspension took effect. Courtesy Emirates

Airlines

Time to say goodbye: Emirates crew wave off last flights ahead of UAE travel restrictions

Crew at 39 locations waved farewell to Emirates passenger flights as they headed back to Dubai ahead of a temporary flight suspension

Hayley Skirka
Hayley Skirka

March 26, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

This is not goodbye said Emirates as the airline called its fleet of Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s back home to Dubai.

Emirates ground staff around the world were on hand to wave farewell to the last operating flights from each destination as the jets flew back to Dubai before UAE flight suspensions came into effect.

Flight EK005 to London Heathrow was the last Emirates flight to leave Dubai International Airport when it departed Terminal 3 at 4.05pm on Tuesday March 24.

The final Emirates service to return to DXB was the EK262 from Sao Paulo. The A388 jet completed its 13 hour and 30 minute flight from Brazil to land in Dubai at 10.35pm on Wednesday, March 25. Its landing put a temporary seal on Emirates' passenger operations.

Farewells around the world

Flights are grounded in 50 countries around the world. Graphic Roy Cooper
Flights are grounded in 50 countries around the world. Graphic Roy Cooper

At airports in 39 countries around the world, outstation teams took to the tarmac to wave farewell to Emirates' last passenger flights for a while.

Outstation crew were photographed in Prague, Newark, Seoul, London and Zurich waving farewell, but not saying goodbye, as the jets took to the skies.

Cargo flights continue

For the next two weeks while Emirates aircraft are grounded, the airline will be busy preparing plans on how to resume operations.

During this time, Emirates will also deploy its cargo fleet around the globe to ensure vital goods, medical supplies and food can be delivered where they are needed.

Emirates flies to more than 150 destinations around the world. For the past few weeks, the airline had been cutting services to various countries around the globe as more travel restrictions and air space closures unfolded.

A UAE government directive designed to protect committees against the spread of Covid-19 was issued on March 24. It stated that all passenger air travel in and out of the UAE is temporarily suspend for a period of at least two weeks.

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Grounded Emirates aircraft at Dubai International Airport

  • Passenger aircraft operated by Emirates stand beside the terminal building at Dubai International Airport in Dubai during March. All photos by Bloomberg
    Passenger aircraft operated by Emirates stand beside the terminal building at Dubai International Airport in Dubai during March. All photos by Bloomberg
  • Passenger aircraft operated by Emirates stand beside the terminal building at Dubai International Airport.
    Passenger aircraft operated by Emirates stand beside the terminal building at Dubai International Airport.
  • Multiple Airbus SE A380-800 aircraft, operated by Emirates, stand in a parking zone at Dubai International Airport.
    Multiple Airbus SE A380-800 aircraft, operated by Emirates, stand in a parking zone at Dubai International Airport.
  • Emirates Boeing Co. 777-300 aircraft are seen in a parking zone at Dubai International Airport.
    Emirates Boeing Co. 777-300 aircraft are seen in a parking zone at Dubai International Airport.
  • An Airbus SE A380-800 aircraft, operated by Emirates, taxis past the terminal.
    An Airbus SE A380-800 aircraft, operated by Emirates, taxis past the terminal.
  • An Airbus SE A380-800, right, and a line of Boeing Co. 777-300 aircraft, operated by Emirates, stand in a parking zone at Dubai International Airport.
    An Airbus SE A380-800, right, and a line of Boeing Co. 777-300 aircraft, operated by Emirates, stand in a parking zone at Dubai International Airport.
  • An Airbus SE A380-800 aircraft, operated by Emirates, takes off past the control tower.
    An Airbus SE A380-800 aircraft, operated by Emirates, takes off past the control tower.
  • An Airbus SE A380-800 aircraft, operated by Emirates, taxis at Dubai International Airport.
    An Airbus SE A380-800 aircraft, operated by Emirates, taxis at Dubai International Airport.
  • An Airbus SE A380-800 aircraft, right, stands alongside a line of Boeing Co. 777-300 aircraft at Dubai International Airport.
    An Airbus SE A380-800 aircraft, right, stands alongside a line of Boeing Co. 777-300 aircraft at Dubai International Airport.
  • An airport access train departs the arrivals hall in Terminal Three at Dubai International Airport.
    An airport access train departs the arrivals hall in Terminal Three at Dubai International Airport.
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