Travellers who want to fly between the UK and Australia will be able to connect in the UAE after Emirates and Eithad announced regular routes between the two countries.
Etihad is launching passenger flights from Melbourne to London via the UAE’s capital city on Friday, May 15.
From Thursday, May 21, the national airline of the UAE will also resume flights from the UK to Australia, again connecting in Abu Dhabi.
Travellers transiting in Abu Dhabi can book these flights without having to obtain permission to enter the UAE.
Upon landing at Abu Dhabi International Airport, transit passengers will remain on board the aircraft until it departs again.
Australia to London passengers will wait on the tarmac for one hour and 15 minutes. On the return leg, travellers will have a scheduled one-hour-and-20-minute wait before departure.
When flights arrive at their final destination, passengers will be required to follow quarantine regulations in place in the UK and Australia. Etihad advises travellers to check current entry regulations for both countries before booking flights.
All Etihad flights arriving in London will land at Heathrow Terminal 2, from which the airline is temporarily operating.
Tickets are on sale on Etihad’s website with one-way fares from Melbourne to London from A$1,575.80 (Dh3,758). From the UK to Australia, fares start from £929.77 (Dh4,199).
Emirates to London and Australia
From Dubai, Emirates is also launching passenger services between the UAE and Australia.
Starting on Thursday, May 21, the Dubai airline will resume flights to nine cities including London, Melbourne and Sydney.
Passengers that wish to travel between the UK and Australia with Emirates can transit at Dubai International Airport.
The National has reached out to Emirates for more information on whether these passengers will remain on the aircraft upon landing in Dubai or if there will be transit facilities available in the airport.
Tickets are not yet available for booking but will be on Emirates.com once government approval is finalised.
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
England squad
Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Dominic Bess, James Bracey, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Ben Foakes, Lewis Gregory, Keaton Jennings, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Jamie Overton, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Amar Virdi, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Red Joan
Director: Trevor Nunn
Starring: Judi Dench, Sophie Cookson, Tereza Srbova
Rating: 3/5 stars
Results
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: Major Cinnamon, Fernando Jara, Mujeeb Rahman
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,900m; Winner: Al Mureib, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Remorse, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
8.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Meshakel, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Desert Peace, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m; Winner: Sharamm, Ryan Curatlo, Satish Seemar
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
