Germany, UAE… Air travel is getting ready for takeoff in these countries
Aviation was one of the hardest-hit industries by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Countries across the world shut their land and air borders trying to stop the virus in its tracks and stop it from spreading.
Some airlines laid off staff and announced plans to cut back operations upon resumption.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that air traffic fell by 95% in April.
“April was a disaster for aviation as air travel almost entirely stopped,” Alexandre de Juniac, IATA director-general, said.
“April may also represent the nadir of the crisis. Flight numbers are increasing. The industry has seen the bottom of the crisis, provided there is no recurrence.”
A few countries have begun to ease restrictions and adjust operations in line with social distancing measures to keep travellers safe.
In Nigeria, domestic flights are scheduled to resume on June 21 while the European Commission has agreed not to allow foreign flights into the zone until June 15.
Here is a list of countries that have announced flight resumption dates although some countries say the dates are dependent on the number of COVID-19 cases recorded.
| Country | Resumption dates for international flights (except otherwise stated) |
|---|---|
| Portugal | June 15 (flights from outside EU not allowed) |
| Bali, Indonesia | October |
| Nigeria | June 21 (only domestic flights) |
| Malta | July 1 |
| Bahamas | July 1 |
| Maldives | July 1 |
| Germany | June 15 (borders would only be open to EU member countries and citizens of UK, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein) |
| Seychelles | June 1 (only private jets and chartered flights, commercial flights to resume) |
| Croatia | May 29 (only to Slovak, Czech, Hungarian and Austrian citizens) |
| Aruba | Between June 15 and July 1 |
| United Arab Emirates (UAE) | June 4 (Only for transit flights operated by Etihad, Emirates, Fly Dubai and Air Arabia via Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah airports) |
| Lebanon | June 21 |
| Saudi Arabia | June 1 (Domestic flights only) |
| US Virgin Islands | June 1 |
| Cyprus | June 9 (for an initial 19 countries, to be extended to 13 countries including Germany, Finland, Israel, Greece and Norway on June 20) |
| Greece | June 15 (only for tourists from countries with acceptably low rates of virus infection) |
| Iceland | June 15 |
| Italy | June 3 (For EU and Schengen area citizens) |
| Spain | July 1 |
| St Lucia and Antigua | June 4 (open to US citizens) |
| South Africa | June 1 (only for essential domestic flights) |
| Hong Kong | June 1 (only transit passengers) |
| London City Airport | End of June for domestic flights and early July for international flights |
| Luxembourg | May 29 |
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