Emirates airline has changed pilot and
flight attendant rosters on flights to the U.S. following the sudden
U.S. travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries, the report said
on Sunday.
However, it said that U.S. flights
continue to operate as scheduled.
According to the report, “the world’s
largest long-haul carrier, who flies daily to 11 U.S. cities, has
made the necessary adjustments to our crewing to comply with the
latest requirements”, Emirates spokesperson said.
President Donald Trump had on Friday
temporarily suspended the entry of people from Iran, Iraq, Libya,
Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
According to the International Air
Transport Association, “the decision caught airlines off guard.’’
The ban applies to pilots and flight
attendants from the seven countries, even though all flight crew who
are not U.S. citizens already needed a special visa to enter the
country.
Another Emirates spokesperson said the
impact of the ban on operations would be minimal.
The airline employs over 23,000 flight
attendants and about four thousand pilots from around the world,
including the U.S., Europe and the Middle East.
Meanwhile, an Etihad Airways spokesman
said the airline has “taken steps to ensure there will be no issues
for flights departing over the coming weeks.”
However, amid confusion over enforcing
the ban, it is unclear if the ban applies to dual nationals who hold
one passport from a country on the list and another from a non-U.S.
country that is not.
Etihad said on its website that dual
citizens could travel to the U.S. using their non-banned passport.
According to the report, the
International Air Transport Association (IATA), has told its members
that the ban does not apply to dual nationals if they have a passport
not on the list.
However, the Guardian reported on
Saturday, quoting State Department officials, that dual nationals
were banned.
Dubai-based Emirates and Abu Dhabi’s
Etihad Airways are both owned by the governments of the United Arab
Emirates, a U.S. ally and Muslim-majority country.
Both carriers said they would continue
to comply with the new rules on U.S. immigration but where possible
would offer to refund or rebook affected passengers.
Emirates and Etihad have also said that
passengers were affected by the ban over the weekend but their flight
crews had not been impacted.
Qatar Airways declined to comment on
the impact of the ban on flight operations.
Although, on Saturday, it issued a
statement on its website that passengers would need a green card or
diplomatic visa to enter the U.S. Emirates and Etihad issued similar
statements.
