emirates7 - Budget carrier flydubai has cancelled flights to Kazakhstan capital Almaty till Saturday, January 8, after violent protests rocked the Central Asian country and the government declared a state of emergency in the country’s largest city.

Protests continued across Almaty on Thursday, sparked by a fuel price rise, resulting in the death of eight people earlier this week. Police clashed with the protesters again on Thursday after they tried to storm their offices. A police official said on Thursday that dozens of people were killed in attacks on government buildings.

Kazakhstan president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Wednesday accepted the government's resignation after the violent protests.

A flydubai spokesperson said: “Flydubai flights FZ 737/8 and FZ 1721/2 between Dubai and Almaty have been cancelled until January 8, 2022, due to the situation on the ground in Almaty in Kazakhstan.”

The Dubai-based low-cost carrier had cancelled flights on January 5 and 6 also due to the volatile political situation in the Central Asian country.

The spokesperson said flights to Nur-Sultan are operating and updates will be available on flydubai.com. “We continue to monitor the situation and assess our flying schedule.”

The UAE Embassy in Kazakhstan on Thursday issued an advisory to its citizens, asking them to avoid public gatherings. The citizens also are requested to contact the emergency number: +97180024.

Kuwaiti budget carrier Jazeera Airways also suspended flights to Almaty on Wednesday. “We will provide an on our operations when we have further information,” a Jazeera Airways spokesperson said.