Stranded Australians hit by UK's UAE flight ban

The UK's ban on direct flights from the UAE to Britain will have an impact on travellers hoping to travel home to Australia.

Following the British government's ban on incoming flights from the UAE, along with Rwanda and Burundi, Emirates has cancelled all flights departing the UK, including on the world's busiest international route from London to Dubai.

The airline said that its last flights from the UK would depart Britain on Friday, from London Heathrow and Birmingham.

Now, stranded Australians who have been struggling to return home amid limited flights and caps on international arrival numbers, will face further delays.

The UAE is a key transport hub for travellers flying to Australia and New Zealand.

The High Commission of Australia, London said it was working with Emirates and Etihad "to understand the impact on outbound travel from the UK."

It is the second time in recent weeks that Emirates has suspended flights to Australia. The Dubai airline announced on January 15 that flights to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane would be suspended following a reduction in international arrival numbers. This decision was later reversed.

Etihad continues to operate flights from the UK

Abu Dhabi's Etihad has not cancelled its flights from the UK. "Flights departing the UK remain unaffected and will operate as scheduled," a spokesman from the airline told The National.

It is thought that the airline will continue to fly cargo flights into the UK, and then fly passengers out of the country.

Repatriation options

Eran Ben-Avraham, an Australian stranded in Britain due to limits on the number of arrivals to his home country, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that his options for getting home were continually shrinking, reported Reuters.

"At the moment it is only giving us three options of flying Qatar, ANA or Singapore Airlines."

"Every day it is making it more difficult to get home."

Australia's Qantas is operating repatriation flights to bring home Australian citizens, some of whom have been waiting for months for a flight.

The national airline of Australia is repatriating citizens from London, Europe and India.

Following the announcement of the UK-UAE flight ban, some Australians took to social media to call for more repatriation flights to be added to Qantas's schedule.

Mark Woodward, a member of a Facebook group called "Australians stranded in the UK" said Qantas and the Australian government should work to improve quarantine options.

"It's time for Qantas and the government to organise flight and quarantine packages. Those that can afford to pay their air travel and quarantine at the time of booking do so, those that can't, some system of government help will need to be formulated," he wrote on the social media platform.