Dec 17, 2020
British Airways will stop flying to several Gulf destinations next year as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect regional travel.
The airline cut its routes to Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Muscat for 2021, the BBC reported Thursday. The British Airways website still lists Amman, Beirut, Dubai, Tel Aviv and other regional destinations as in its Middle Eastern network.
British Airways has been having to operate a reduced schedule during the COVID-19 pandemic like other airlines around the world. The airline also cut lengthy flight routes to several North American and Asian destinations.
Middle Eastern airlines have been similarly affected by the coronavirus and the international air travel crisis. Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways reported that its number of passengers fell to just 30,000 in the second quarter of 2020 from more than 3 million the year before. Dubai’s Emirates said it incurred more than $3 billion in losses this year.
