As COVID-19 infections continue to surge across countries, Emirates Airlines has extended the suspension of flights from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka to the UAE until July 28.

As per a statement issued on the company's website, passengers who were living in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka in the past 14 days will not be able to travel to the UAE from any other point.

The decision to expand the suspension on flights from these countries was taken in view of the rise in COVID-19 cases due to the 'Delta' variant of the virus which is highly transmissible and more contagious.

In addition, UAE nationals, Golden Visa holders, and members of diplomatic missions are exempted from the protocols. However, it is required for the exempted groups to comply with updated COVID 19 safety protocols to be able to enter the UAE.

In the statement, Emirates has noted that its Contact Centres are experiencing a higher volume of calls from customers in view of the updated travel rules. The airline has urged customers to refrain from calling right now if their query is not related to travel within the next 48 hours.

Earlier, Etihad had announced the expansion of the suspension of inbound flights from India until July 31.

"Following the latest UAE Government directives, passenger travel from India to UAE and Etihad's network has been suspended effectively until 31 July 2021," Etihad said in response to a customer query.