The UAE's National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NECADMA) has given its consent to the resumption of largescale hub operations at each of Abu Dhabi International, Dubai International, and Sharjah airports.

The authority’s spokesperson, Saif Al Dhaheri, told a media gathering last week the move will specifically benefit Etihad Airways, Emirates, flydubai, and Air Arabia. However, he warned that the actual resumption of hub operations would also depend on destination countries and their willingness to accept flights from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Other airports, such as Dubai World Central, will be added to the list in due course, he said.

With the exception of repatriation flights, the Gulf state has curbed international passenger operations since March 26.

While flydubai and Air Arabia have yet to formally define their respective service resumption plans, Etihad has announced a schedule wherein effective June 10, flights from each of Amsterdam Schiphol, Barcelona El Prat, Brussels National, Dublin International, Frankfurt International, Geneva, London Heathrow, Madrid Barajas, Milan Malpensa, Paris CDG, and Zurich to Abu Dhabi will be able to connect with onward flights to each of Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta, Karachi International, Kuala Lumpur International, Manila Ninoy Aquino International, Melbourne Tullamarine, Seoul Incheon, Singapore Changi, Sydney Kingsford Smith, and Tokyo Narita.

Emirates said it will ramp up its current hub operations from June 15 to include 16 more cities including Manchester International, Zurich, Vienna, Amsterdam, Copenhagen Kastrup, Dublin, New York JFK, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta, Taipei Taoyuan, Hong Kong International, Perth International, and Bahrain International. In addition, from June 8, Emirates said it will also resume flights from Karachi, Lahore International, and Islamabad International.

Despite this glimmer of hope for the UAE, Etihad and Emirates have both extended wage cuts through to September. Emirates had previously reduced basic wages by 25 to 50% for three months from April, with junior employees exempted. However, according to internal correspondence seen by Reuters, that date has now been extended to September 30. Etihad said it has extended its salary cuts until September 2020, with junior staff and cabin crew taking a 25% hit while management-level executives will see a 50% cut.