UAE, Turkey to resume flights for first time since coronavirus

Flights between Turkey and the United Arab Emirates are poised to resume within days for the first time since the pandemic forced authorities to shut airports earlier this year.

Flydubai, which is owned — like Emirates — by the Dubai government, will restart flights between Dubai and Istanbul starting on Dec. 17, according to a company spokeswoman. Turkish Airlines, in which Turkey’s government holds a 49% stake, plans to resume service on the route within days, said a person with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified due to its sensitivity.

Turkish Airlines and Emirates withheld flights between their two hubs even as both carriers revived their pandemic-depleted schedules. While neither airline said why the services remain suspended, the prolonged halt coincided with a worsening of relations between the two nations.