Thousands of British nationals abroad are scrambling to book last minute flights to the UK as the country is set to impose a travel ban on UAE today.

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Other countries included in the ban that is set to be imposed from 1 pm today include Rwanda and Burundi.

The British government says it is adding these countries to its Coronavirus travel ban list owing to worries over the spread of a more contagious and potentially vaccine-resistant COVID-19 variant first identified in South Africa.

Statement by the UK transport department

�This means people who have been in or transited through these countries will be denied entry, except British, Irish and third-country nationals with residence rights who must self-isolate for ten days at home,� UK Transport Minister Grant Shapps said on social media on Thursday.

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UAE's major carriers; Emirates and Etihad Airways said on their websites that they'd suspend all UK passenger flights from 13:00 GMT on Friday when the ban is set to take effect.

Dubai to London was the world's busiest international route in January with 190,365 scheduled seats over the month, according to airline data provider OAG.

The UK transport department advised British nationals currently in the UAE to make use of indirect commercial airline routes if they wished to return to Britain.

"Pandemic tourism"

Around December last year, Dubai suddenly became a popular destination for British nationals fleeing the national lockdown back home.

Many social media influencers who travelled there on the premise of work ended up posting a video of themselves having fun; which upset the UK government.

This picture taken on July 8, 2020 shows an aerial view of the Burj al-Arab hotel in the Gulf emirate of Dubai, during a government-organised helicopter tour.

One of the seven emirates that make up the UAE; Dubai had even branded itself this northern hemisphere winter as an open, sunny and quarantine-free escape.

However, COVID-19 infections have surged there since the New Year; which prompted a clampdown on the country's entertainment scene and suspension of non-essential appointments at hospitals.

Impacts on UK travellers

The decision by UAE's flag carriers, Emirates and Etihad to suspend travel to the UK is set to have far-reaching consequences. Many British flights bound for Australia and the far east often use these carriers to connect.

The Australian government said it will add more charter flights from Britain if needed as a result of the ban.