Holidaymakers and business travellers heading to Dubai can now fly out of London Stansted Airport.

Emirates resumed flights between Dubai International Airport and Stansted in Essex today (Monday, August 1) for the first time since pausing the route in March 2020.

The first EK065 flight left the United Arab Emirates at 8.50am (GMT+4) on August 1.

Richard Jewsbury, Emirates divisional vice-president in the UK, said the first flight is cause to celebrate an upturn in the appetite to international travel.

Mr Jewsbury said: "We are delighted to be recommencing services to and from Stansted today and offering passengers further connectivity during the popular summer holiday period.

"Bookings in the UK and London have continued to surge with the further easing of travel restrictions and as appetite for international travel grows stronger.

"Stansted is a key hub for Emirates in the East and the south-east of the UK as we continue to scale up travel following the pandemic.

"We look forward to welcoming more passengers on board our premium Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in the coming months."

Emirates suspended its route in March 2020 following the outbreak of Covid-19.

The airline was one of several which cancelled flights in and out of Stansted Airport, including easyJet and TUI.

Short-haul airline easyJet announced it would shut its London Stansted hub entirely in summer 2020.

Airport boss Steve Griffiths said Emirates' return to Essex is "fantastic news."

Mr Griffiths said: "The return of daily flights from London Stansted to Dubai demonstrates the renewed confidence of airlines and passengers as we recover from the pandemic.

"The service proved to be extremely popular following its launch in 2018, so Emirates' timely return is a huge boost to passengers in London and the East of England, offering not only a vital link between the two destinations but right across the globe thanks to the airline's worldwide route network available via Dubai."

The firm has plans to run 110 flights per week between the UK and the UAE by the end of October 2022.

Routes are set to depart from or arrive at London Stansted, Birmingham, London Gatwick, Glasgow, London Heathrow, Manchester and Newcastle.