UAE halts flights to Iran, except Tehran, as virus cases rise

The United Arab Emirates banned flights to all cities in Iran with the exception of Tehran in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The decision is effective Tuesday until further notice, the U.A.E. civil aviation authority said in a statement. The country has already suspended all flights to and from China, with the exception of Beijing.

Iran is the epicenter of coronavirus in the Middle East, with 12 deaths and about 60 confirmed cases. Air Arabia PJSC and FlyDubai operate about 25 weekly flights to Iranian cities other than Tehran. Emirates, the world’s biggest airline by international traffic, only flies to Tehran.

Bahrain on Monday temporarily banned flights to and from Dubai, the Middle East’s airline hub, and Sharjah in the U.A.E. as Middle East countries reported more cases overnight.

Flights will be suspended for 48 hours, Bahrain’s state news agency reported. Kuwait, which has already stopped flights to Iran, on Monday suspended travel to South Korea, Thailand, Italy and Iraq.

Kuwait has so far reported five confirmed coronavirus cases, while Oman and Bahrain have two each—all of them linked to Iran. The U.A.E., which in the past weeks reported 13 cases, is yet to provide an update.