Etihad has announced that it will begin inbound flights to Abu Dhabi this week, allowing residents to return home.
From Saturday, May 9, the airline will be operating a limited number of one-way flights to the capital from major cities around the world, including Amsterdam, London and Tokyo.
Until now, airlines in the UAE have been operating repatriation flights in conjunction with authorities and embassies, but this is the first time a list of bookable flights has been made public.
All flights have been approved by the UAE government and any passengers wishing to book onto an inbound flight will require pre-approval via the UAE Twajudi Resident service.
There, you will be asked to fill out a form providing your information and the date on which you wish to return to the UAE.
All successful applicants will then be contacted and provided with a unique ICA approval number, which will be required when booking onto any of the flights. Residents should not try to book a flight before obtaining this number. All passengers must also hold a valid UAE residency visa.
The airline has introduced a number of strict safety measures for all passengers travelling and upon reaching Abu Dhabi, they will need to undertake PCR and thermal testing, and will be required to self-isolate for 14 days.
The inbound flight schedule
Amsterdam (EY78): 13, 15, 20, 22, 27 and 29 May
Barcelona (EY50): 14, 17, 24 and 31 May
Frankfurt (EY8): 17, 24 and 31 May
Jakarta (EY475): 15 and 29 May
Kuala Lumpur (EY411): 23 and 30 May
London (EY20): 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, 27 and 30-May
Manila (EY423): 13, 15, 16, 20, 22, 23, 27, 29 and 30 May
Melbourne (EY463): 13, 20 and 27 May
Seoul (EY873): 22 and 29 May
Singapore (EY473): 20 and 27 May
Tokyo (EY871): 20 and 27 May
Toronto (EY140): 12 May
"Etihad continues to follow UAE and international government, regulatory and health authority directives, and is playing its part in helping to limit the spread of Covid-19," a spokesperson for the airline said.
"The airline has implemented an extensive sanitisation and customer safety programme and is practicing the highest standards of hygiene at every part of the customer journey. This includes catering, aircraft and cabin deep-cleaning, check-in, health screening, boarding, inflight, crew interaction, meal service, disembarkation and ground transportation, among others."
Commercial passenger flights in and out of Dubai and Abu Dhabi were grounded on March 24, but UAE airlines have been operating outbound repatriation flights for those in the country trying to get home over the past week.
Etihad plans to gradually restart all of its passenger flights after June 16 as more restrictions lift globally.
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UAE's KhalifaSat captures world's airports under lockdown from space
Results
Light Flyweight (49kg): Mirzakhmedov Nodirjon (UZB) beat Daniyal Sabit (KAZ) by points 5-0.
Flyweight (52kg): Zoirov Shakhobidin (UZB) beat Amit Panghol (IND) 3-2.
Bantamweight (56kg): Kharkhuu Enkh-Amar (MGL) beat Mirazizbek Mirzahalilov (UZB) 3-2.
Lightweight (60kg): Erdenebat Tsendbaatar (MGL) beat Daniyal Shahbakhsh (IRI) 5-0.
Light Welterweight (64kg): Baatarsukh Chinzorig (MGL) beat Shiva Thapa (IND) 3-2.
Welterweight (69kg): Bobo-Usmon Baturov (UZB) beat Ablaikhan Zhussupov (KAZ) RSC round-1.
Middleweight (75kg): Jafarov Saidjamshid (UZB) beat Abilkhan Amankul (KAZ) 4-1.
Light Heavyweight (81kg): Ruzmetov Dilshodbek (UZB) beat Meysam Gheshlaghi (IRI) 3-2.
Heavyweight (91kg): Sanjeet (IND) beat Vassiliy Levit (KAZ) 4-1.
Super Heavyweight ( 91kg): Jalolov Bakhodir (UZB) beat Kamshibek Kunkabayev (KAZ) 5-0.
UK%20record%20temperature
%3Cp%3E38.7C%20(101.7F)%20set%20in%20Cambridge%20in%202019%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Results
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah – Group 2 (PA) $36,000 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: RB Money To Burn, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Turf) 2,410m, Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: Meydan Trophy – Conditions (TB) $50,000 (T) 1,900m, Winner: Secret Protector, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 - Group 2 (TB) $293,000 (D) 1,900m, Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
8.50pm: Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Zakouski, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (T) 1,000m, Winner: Motafaawit, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson
ENGLAND SQUAD
Joe Root (captain), Dom Sibley, Rory Burns, Dan Lawrence, Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes (wicketkeeper), Moeen Ali, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
In 2018, the ICRC received 27,756 trace requests in the Middle East alone. The global total was 45,507.
There are 139,018 global trace requests that have not been resolved yet, 55,672 of these are in the Middle East region.
More than 540,000 individuals approached the ICRC in the Middle East asking to be reunited with missing loved ones in 2018.
The total figure for the entire world was 654,000 in 2018.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
