Largest Mideast airline cuts US flights after Trump administration curbs

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Emirates, the Middle East’s biggest airline, says on Wednesday it is cutting flights to the United States because of a drop in demand caused by heightened US security measures and Trump administration attempts to ban travelers from Muslim-majority nations.

The decision by the Dubai government-owned carrier is the strongest sign yet that tougher measures imposed on US-bound travelers from the Mideast are taking a financial toll on fast-growing Gulf carriers that have expanded rapidly in the United States in recent years.

Emirates’ hub at Dubai International Airport, the world’s third busiest, is a major transit point for travelers who were affected by US President Donald Trump’s executive orders temporarily halting entry to citizens of six countries.

The latest travel ban suspended new visas for people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, and froze the nation’s refugee program. Like an earlier ban that also included Iraqi citizens, it has been blocked from taking effect by the courts.

Emirates says the reductions will affect five of its 12 US destinations, starting next month. It calls the move “a commercial decision in response to weakened travel demand” in the three months since Trump took office.

“The recent actions taken by the U.S. government relating to the issuance of entry visas, heightened security vetting, and restrictions on electronic devices in aircraft cabins, have had a direct impact on consumer interest and demand for air travel into the US,” the carrier says.

— AP