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Emirates Offers First Ever $500,000 Multi-Risk Travel Insurance Coverage

Published

5 years ago

November 23, 2020

Emirates customers can now plan their travels and fly with even greater assurance and peace of mind, with the airline’s latest industry-first initiative to provide expanded, multi-risk travel cover on top of its current COVID-19 cover.

Provided by Emirates at no additional cost to its customers, and provided by AIG Travel, this cover is the first of its kind in the airline and travel insurance industry. It is designed to provide all Emirates passengers a truly unique offer for stress-free and hassle-free travel.

This new multi-risk travel insurance and COVID-19 cover will automatically apply to all Emirates tickets purchased from 1 December, and extends to Emirates codeshare flights operated by partner airlines, as long as the ticket number starts with 176.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates Chairman and Chief Executive said: “Emirates was the first airline to offer complimentary global COVID-19 cover for travelers back in July, and the response from our customers has been tremendously encouraging. We’ve not rested on our laurels and instead continued to look at how we can offer our customers an even better proposition. We’re very pleased to be able to now provide this new multi-risk travel insurance and COVID-19 cover, which is another industry first, to all our customers.

“We see a strong appetite for travel around the world, especially heading into the winter holidays as people seek warmer climates and family destinations like Dubai. By launching this new multi-risk travel insurance and COVID-19 cover, we aim to give our customers even more confidence in making their travel plans this winter and moving into 2021.”

Emirates customers will be covered when they fly to any destination, in any class of travel. Highlights of the coverage include:

Out-of-Country Emergency Medical Expenses & Emergency Medical Evacuation up to US$500,000, valid for COVID-19 (contracted during the trip) and other medical emergencies while traveling abroad; Trip Cancellation up to US$7,500 for non-refundable costs if the traveler or a relative (as defined in the policy) is unable to travel because they are diagnosed with COVID-19 before the scheduled trip departure date, or for other named reasons – similar to other comprehensive travel cover products.

The package also offers Trip Cancellation or Curtailment up to US$7,500 if the school year is extended due to COVID-19 beyond the departure date, and the traveler or a relative (as defined in the policy) is a full-time teacher, full-time employee, or a student at a primary or secondary school. Trip Curtailment up to US$7,500 for non-refundable trip costs and additional costs to return to their country of residence if the traveler or a relative (as defined in the policy) falls critically ill, for instance, contracts COVID-19 while traveling abroad.
Travel Abandonment up to US$7,500 if the traveler fails a COVID-19-related test or medical screening at the airport and is required to abandon the trip.

Furthermore, customers will get US$150 per day per person, for up to 14 consecutive days if, while outside of their country of residence, the traveler tests positive for COVID-19, and if they are unexpectedly placed into a mandatory quarantine outside their country of residence by a governmental body.

“We have enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Emirates and we are excited to work with them to tailor this product to meet the needs of Emirates customers worldwide,” said Jeff Rutledge, CEO, AIG Travel. “Our hope is to help alleviate some of the concerns travelers may have when planning travel during this time.”

Similar to other multi-risk travel insurance products, Emirates’ generous cover also has provisions for personal accidents during travel, winter sports cover, loss of personal belongings, and trip disruptions due to unexpected air space closure, travel recommendations or advisories. Customers do not need to register or fill in any forms before they travel, and they are not obligated to utilize this cover provided by Emirates.

Emirates’ booking policies offer customers flexibility and confidence to plan their travel. Customers who purchase an Emirates ticket for travel on or before 31 March 2021, can enjoy generous rebooking terms and options, if they must change their travel plans. Customers have options to change their travel dates or extend their ticket validity for 2 years.

Emirates has implemented a comprehensive set of measures at every step of the customer journey to ensure the safety of its customers and employees on the ground and in the air, including the distribution of complimentary hygiene kits containing masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes to all customers.

Dubai is now definitely open for international business and leisure visitors. From sun-soaked beaches and heritage activities to world class hospitality and leisure facilities, Dubai offers a variety of world-class experiences for visitors. In 2019, the city welcomed 16.7 million visitors and hosted over hundreds of global meetings and exhibitions, as well as sports and entertainment events. Dubai was one of the world’s first cities to obtain Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) – which endorses Dubai’s comprehensive and effective measures to ensure guest health and safety

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BREAKING: Tinubu declares emergency on security training institutions

Published

21 hours ago

November 4, 2025

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Disturbed by the state of training institutions for the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other internal security agencies, President Bola Tinubu has declared emergency on the facilities.

The emergency declaration was revealed by the chairman, National Economic Council (NEC) ad-hoc Committee on the overhaul of security training institutions in Nigeria and Enugu Governor, Peter Mbah, during an on-the-spot assessment of facilities in Lagos.

Mbah, who was accompanied on the visit by his Ogun State counterpart, Prince Dapo Abiodun, Secretary of the Committee and former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Alkali Usman Baba, as well as Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Special Protection Unit (SPU), Olatunji Disu, said they have a 30-day deadline to submit a comprehensive report to NEC for action.

He said the President gave the mandate at the last NEC which held on October 23, adding that he categorically told the council that the present state of the security training institutions did not align with his dream of growing the economy to one trillion dollar in the next five years, harping on the need for modernisation.

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NDDC Prepares for Agric Summit, Meets Stakeholders, Says MD

Published

5 days ago

October 31, 2025

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The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, is hosting a two-day strategic meeting with commissioners, permanent secretaries, and directors of agriculture, fisheries & livestock in the nine Niger Delta states.

The meeting, which kicks off on Thursday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, would be addressed by the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, who is expected to outline his plans for a retreat and agricultural summit for the Niger Delta region in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration’s agrarian programme.

An invitation extended to the stakeholders by the NDDC Director of Agric and Fisheries, Dr Winifred Madume, stated that the Commission was determined to make the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government a reality in the Niger Delta region by ensuring food security for the people.

Recall that the NDDC Chief Executive Officer had earlier assured that the Commission would align with the President’s vision for agriculture, to ensure that agriculture served as a platform for peace and security in the Niger Delta region.

Ogbuku promised: “Any time from now, the NDDC will convene a mini-agricultural retreat for state governments and commissioners of agriculture. States in the region have their various areas of strength in agriculture. We aim to establish regional agricultural integration, which will later evolve into a regional agricultural summit where a comprehensive master plan for the region’s agriculture will be developed.”

The Managing Director affirmed that the NDDC was engaging all stakeholders to ensure harmony and cooperation in developing the hitherto neglected Niger Delta region.

Reflecting on the Federal Government’s agricultural policies, Ogbuku stressed the need to bring them home to the Niger Delta region, noting that the NDDC would continue to promote policies and programmes that enhance food security and poverty reduction in the states .

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Update : Tinubu approves 15% import duty on petrol, diesel, aimed to protect local refineries

Published

6 days ago

October 30, 2025

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President Bola Tinubu has approved the introduction of a 15 per cent ad-valorem import duty on petrol and diesel imports into Nigeria.

The initiative is aimed at protecting local refineries and stabilising the downstream market, but it is likely to raise pump prices.

In a letter dated October 21, 2025, reported publicly on October 30, 2025, and addressed to the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Tinubu directed immediate implementation of the tariff as part of what the government described as a “market-responsive import tariff framework.”

The letter, signed by his Private Secretary, Damilotun Aderemi, and obtained by our correspondent on Wednesday, conveyed the President’s approval following a proposal by the Executive Chairman of the FIRS, Zacch Adedeji.

The proposal sought the application of a 15 per cent duty on the cost, insurance and freight value of imported petrol and diesel to align import costs with domestic market realities.

Adedeji, in his memo to the President, explained that the measure was part of ongoing reforms to boost local refining, ensure price stability, and strengthen the naira-based oil economy in line with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda for energy security and fiscal sustainability.

“The core objective of this initiative is to operationalise crude transactions in local currency, strengthen local refining capacity, and ensure a stable, affordable supply of petroleum products across Nigeria,” Adedeji stated.

The FIRS boss also warned that the current misalignment between locally refined products and import parity pricing has created instability in the market.

“While domestic refining of petrol has begun to increase and diesel sufficiency has been achieved, price instability persists, partly due to the misalignment between local refiners and marketers,” he wrote.

He noted that import parity pricing- the benchmark for determining pump prices, often falls below cost recovery levels for local producers, particularly during foreign exchange and freight fluctuations, putting pressure on emerging domestic refineries.

Adedeji added that the government’s responsibility was now “twofold, to protect consumers and domestic producers from unfair pricing practices and collusion, while ensuring a level playing field for refiners to recover costs and attract investments.”

He argued that the new tariff framework would discourage duty-free fuel imports from undercutting domestic producers and foster a fair and competitive downstream environment.

According to projections contained in the letter, the 15 per cent import duty could increase the landing cost of petrol by an estimated N99.72 per litre.

“At current CIF levels, this represents an increment of approximately 99.72 per litre, which nudges imported landed costs toward local cost-recovery without choking supply or inflating consumer prices beyond sustainable thresholds. Even with this adjustment, estimated Lagos pump prices would remain in the range of N964.72 per litre ($0.62), still significantly below regional averages such as Senegal ($1.76 per litre), Cote d’Ivoire ($1.52 per litre), and Ghana ($1.37 per litre).”

The policy comes as Nigeria intensifies efforts to reduce dependence on imported petroleum products and ramp up domestic refining.

The 650,000 barrels-per-day Dangote Refinery in Lagos has commenced diesel and aviation fuel production, while modular refineries in Edo, Rivers and Imo states have started small-scale petrol refining.

However, despite these gains, petrol imports still account for up to 67 per cent of national demand.

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