Emirates (EK) and British Airways (BA) have announced they will temporarily suspend services to West Africa in the face of heightened public concern over a deadly Ebola outbreak currently sweeping through the region.
Gulf carrier Emirates has suspended flights to Conakry in Guinea – one of the worst affected states with 485 reported cases and 358 confirmed deaths.
Meanwhile, BA has also halted its services to Liberia and Sierra Leone – the latter has been hit the hardest by the epidemic with 646 reported cases and 273 deaths.
According to Bloomberg, BA’s decision is particularly significant as the British flag carrier has one of the greatest networks in the region, along with the likes of Air France, Brussels Airlines and Lufthansa.
EK and BA customers holding tickets for flights to the affected areas are advised to contact their travel agents or the airlines’ call centres to enquire about free-of-charge rebooking options.
For more information, visit emirates.com and britishairways.com
Clement Huang
