The Swedish subsidiary of British air charter company Britannia Airways said Monday its flights would no longer stop over in the United Arab Emirates because its passengers refused to land in an Arab country, according to AFP.
The firm said the decision to avoid Abu Dhabi, capital of the UAE, on flights heading to the popular Thai island resort of Phuket was temporary.
It was made because of "worries from numerous clients regarding the risks they faced in Arab countries" as international tensions heightened around the US military strikes on Afghanistan, the subsidiary's manager, Goeran Gaardoe, told Swedish state television.
Britannia Airways' five flights per week between Stockholm and Phuket will stop over in Cyprus, "a costly solution," he said.
The development came as leaders of the Gulf state insist that the terror crisis and the subsequent US-led war against Afghanistan have and will not affect the country, a trade and telecom hub in the region.
Dubai Crown Prince and UAE’s Defense Minister Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum have issued orders that all commercial and social activities in the country should proceed smoothly because the country is not in state of war, he said.
For the last two days, two big international events kicked off in Dubai: GITEX 2001 telecom expo and STARS charity summit aimed at helping world children – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
