More flights are being arranged by embassies in the UAE to help repatriate thousands of tourists stranded in the country due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In documents shared with The National, it was confirmed one such flight was due to depart Dubai International Airport on Wednesday evening.
The Air France operated flight will depart at 5.20pm and stop in Paris before making its onward flight to Toulouse, in the South of France.
British tourist Lina Barhomi, who was holidaying in Dubai when flights were cancelled last week to slow the spread of the virus, said her sister was booked on the April 1 flight.
"She lives in France and managed to get a free ticket [out of the UAE] departing on Wednesday to Toulouse via Paris," she told The National.
I had pneumonia last year and contracted MRSA when hospitalised, so I am worried and just want to get home to UK
“She called the French Embassy last week and registered her information with them.
“They informed her they would find her a flight and now she is booked to leave on Wednesday.”
The French Embassy was contacted for more details about the special flight, but has yet to respond.
More than 350 German, US and British nationals boarded flights to their respective countries at the weekend, as the UAE government granted airlines special permission to depart.
However, many tourists remain in the country.
Ms Barhomi said she registered for a repatriation flight to the UK with the British Embassy in the UAE, but had yet to be informed about any planned operations.
“I’m stressed and cannot afford to pay for my hotel room or food much longer,” she said.
“I have health issues with high blood pressure and my medication is running out.
“I had pneumonia last year and contracted MRSA when hospitalised, so I am worried and just want to get home to the UK.
“[The embassy] only responded to my email to confirm my contact details.”
Speaking to The National, an embassy spokesman confirmed it was working around the clock to contact stranded UK citizens in the Emirates.
"Our message to British visitors has consistently been to contact us at uaeconsular.escalations@fco.gov.uk," he said.
“We are finding ways home for those British visitors who have followed this advice and that we have identified as having an urgent need to return to the UK.
“We will continue to do this and will not be satisfied until all visitors who want to return to the UK are back home.”
On Tuesday evening, the British Embassy in the UAE posted a tweet updating Britons on the status of their requests to return home.
“Thank you for contacting us at uaeconsular.escalations@fco.gov.uk. Please ensure you check your email regularly for updates from our consular team, including on options for flights home," it said.
In replies by prospective passengers, some said they were given the option to board a flight leaving Dubai on April 5 to London's Heathrow Airport.
Last week's widespread disruption to the aviation industry left millions of holidaymakers across the world in limbo.
For more than a week, tourists have been taking refuge in airport terminals, hotels and rented accommodation in the hope of returning to their home countries.
On Monday, the British government estimated that between 300,000 and one million UK citizens were stranded abroad.
It announced a Dh340 million “twin-track approach” with airlines to fly Britons back from “priority countries" and where commercial flights were running, subsidies would be given for tickets.
Paul Raymund Cortes, consul general of the Philippines in the UAE, said the consulate was liaising with a Filipina who remained in Dubai.
"When the travel restrictions came into effect, we had a Filipino national who arrived at Dubai International Airport en route to Luxembourg," he said.
"She holds a residency in Luxembourg but was unable to fly out due to the flight cancellations.
"She has been staying inside a hotel in the airport for about a week."
Mr Cortes said the consulate was working to secure a place for her on a connecting flight, stopping in Paris, in the coming days.
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
Group B
Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
Group C
Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia
Group D
Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULTS
Bantamweight
Victor Nunes (BRA) beat Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK)
(Split decision)
Featherweight
Hussein Salim (IRQ) beat Shakhriyor Juraev (UZB)
(Round 1 submission, armbar)
Catchweight 80kg
Rashed Dawood (UAE) beat Otabek Kadirov (UZB)
(Round-1 submission, rear naked choke)
Lightweight
Ho Taek-oh (KOR) beat Ronald Girones (CUB)
(Round 3 submission, triangle choke)
Lightweight
Arthur Zaynukov (RUS) beat Damien Lapilus (FRA)
(Unanimous points)
Bantamweight
Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) beat Furkatbek Yokubov (RUS)
(Round 1 TKO)
Featherweight
Movlid Khaybulaev (RUS) v Zaka Fatullazade (AZE)
(Round 1 rear naked choke)
Flyweight
Shannon Ross (TUR) beat Donovon Freelow (USA)
(Unanimous decision)
Lightweight
Dan Collins (GBR) beat Mohammad Yahya (UAE)
(Round 2 submission D’arce choke)
Catchweight 73kg
Martun Mezhulmyan (ARM) beat Islam Mamedov (RUS)
(Round 3 submission, kneebar)
Bantamweight world title
Xavier Alaoui (MAR) beat Jaures Dea (CAM)
(Unanimous points 48-46, 49-45, 49-45)
Flyweight world title
Manon Fiorot (FRA) v Gabriela Campo (ARG)
(Round 1 RSC)
US%20federal%20gun%20reform%20since%20Sandy%20Hook
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Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
RESULT
Bournemouth 0 Southampton 3 (Djenepo (37', Redmond 45' 1, 59')
Man of the match Nathan Redmond (Southampton)
match info
Union Berlin 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Lewandowski 40' pen, Pavard 80')
Man of the Match: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)
Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
The%20specs
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
