UAE Nationals, holders of UAE Golden Visas and members of diplomatic missions who comply with the revised Covid-19 protocols will be exempt for travel, reports Asian Lite News
Emirates has extended the suspension of passenger flights from India to the UAE until June 30, the airline stated on Sunday.
“Furthermore, passengers who have transited through India in the last 14 days will not be accepted to travel from any other point to the UAE,” the airline said.
UAE Nationals, holders of UAE Golden Visas and members of diplomatic missions who comply with the revised Covid-19 protocols will be exempt for travel, the airline said.
The airline offered passengers two choices for cancelled bookings. Passengers could choose to keep their tickets for a future flight. In this case, they would not need to call up the airline, but rather visit the airline’s website for required information.
The second option is to rebook the flight for an alternative date, for which the airline recommended that affected passengers contact their respective travel agents or booking office.
Flights from India to UAE were first suspended from 11.59pm on April 24.
This was further extended on May 4 by the UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA), in light of a deadly second wave of Covid-19 currently affecting India.
UAE’s decision to indefinitely extend its ban on the entry for travellers from India has come as a bolt from the blue for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs)working in the seven emirates.
The worst-hit by the decision are hundreds of Non-Resident Keralites (NoRKs) working in the seven emirates and various countries. The hopes of hundreds who have been waiting to join their families during the holy month of Ramzan and the summer months, which are vacation for educational institutions, have ended. Many NoRK families had shelved the plans to come home in view of the strict quarantine norms in Kerala to contain the pandemic.
Hundreds of NoRKs working in the U.S and U.K. and their families, students who had gone abroad for studies and others had been hit by the indefinite restrictions.
India suspends international passenger flights till June 30
India’s had on Friday decided to suspend international passenger flights till June 30. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), however said that restriction will not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by the aviation regulator. The ban has been in place since March last year.
The suspension of scheduled international passenger flights was last extended till May 31 amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, special international flights have been operating under the Centre’s Vande Bharat Mission since May 2020 and under bilateral “air bubble” arrangements with selected countries since July last year.
All scheduled international flights were restricted on March 23 last year in wake of the coronavirus pandemic and continue to be banned. However, various international flights were operationalised under bilateral air bubble agreements that India signed with several nations for the unhindered movement of passengers.
India has formed air bubble pacts with 27 countries including the US, the UK, the UAE, Kenya, Bhutan and France. Under an air bubble pact between two countries, special international flights can be operated by their airlines between their territories.
Given the rise in Covid-19 cases during the second wave of the pandemic, several countries have banned flights from India under the air bubble pact till the situation improves.
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