Organisers of Expo 2020 will meet via video conference on Monday to consider a delay to the event.

According to reports from the Middle East, a year-long postponement is one of several options to be discussed.

With the event due to begin on October 20th this year, a postponement to the spring is also possible.

Any final decision would have to be made by member states of the Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions, which awards the event.

However, beginning on time has not yet been ruled out.

In their most recent public statement, Expo 2020 organisers said only that they were keeping the coronavirus pandemic under observation.

Since then both Emirates and Etihad have ceased virtually all flights in the United Arab Emirates, while lockdowns on international travel have come into force around the world.

Government officials in Dubai have for years touted Expo 2020 as a potential bonanza for the destination, and have spent billions of dollars building hotels and facilities.

Dubai had previously expressed hopes to welcome 25 million international arrivals this year, with the event as a key driver.

A spokesman for the Bureau International des Expositions said the steering committee meeting would “reassess and adjust planned preparations”.

Any change of date requires a two-thirds majority vote from members.

The International Olympic Committee earlier this week took the previous unthinkable decision to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Games for a year.

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