The airline Emirates has announced it plans to suspend all flights by March 25. The decision is in line with a number of other airlines who have cancelled or reduced services as coronavirus fears grow.

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Emirates announced it will suspend all passenger flights in a statement posted on Twitter.

The statement reads: “Today we made the decision to temporarily suspend all passenger flights by 25 March 2020.

“SkyCargo operations will continue. This painful but pragmatic move will help Emirates Group preserve business viability and secure jobs worldwide, avoiding cuts.

“We deeply apologise to our customers for the travel disruptions and inconvenience caused. We are committed to minimise impact to our customer.

“We will continue to watch the situation closely, and will reinstate our passenger services, as soon as feasible.

“These are unprecedented times for the airline and travel industry, but we will get through it with your support.”

Are you affected?

The airline flies from six UK airports, Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham, London Gatwick and London Heathrow.

The majority of flights are long haul and will usually stopover in Dubai.

Those who have booked tickets and are set to board a passenger flight from March 25 will no longer be able to do so.

In the statement, the airline explained it will try to minimise the impact to customers as much as possible.

The company also shared information for customers hoping to get a refund or fly at another time.

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Passengers who are no longer able to fly will be able to request a travel voucher.

Detailing the voucher, the Emirates website wrote: “Travel vouchers are valid for one year from the date of issue and can be used for any Emirates product or service.

“Travel vouchers are issued per passenger and are non transferable.

“You can use the travel voucher throughout the year for multiple transactions if you wish to (up to its value).

“You will also receive travel vouchers for any services you have paid for associated to your ticket.”

Passengers whose flights have been disrupted can also put in a request for a refund.

Over the past few weeks, airlines including EasyJet, Ryanair, British Airways and Norwegian Air have all cancelled a huge number of flights.

This follows the government’s advice, who have urged Britons to stop all unnecessary travel.

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