After IndiGo flights had been banned for operating flights to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a week, the airline on Thursday said flights will resume from Friday early morning.
“IndiGo will recommence flight operations between India and UAE from 0130 IST (2000 UTC) tonight (August 20). We have informed all our passengers and any inconvenience caused is regretted,” the airline said.
The ban was imposed after it carried a passenger to the destination without the mandatory RT-PCR negative test report. The ban, which started on and from August 17th, has led to the cancellation of various flights to Dubai.
Worth mentioning here is that recently UAE eased entry restrictions to the country allowing permanent residents to enter the country. But passengers are required to undergo an RT-PCR test 48 hours before departure and another RT-PCR test at the airport a few hours before the flight. This requirement came into effect on August 5.
UAE has made COVID-19 test mandatory for travellers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Nigeria and Uganda.
Further passengers are required to obtain an approval letter from UAE authorities. Airline check-in staff at the airport are required to check the test report before allowing passengers to enter the flight. These documents are also checked at the UAE airport upon arrival.
Presently, UAE residents, students, educators, and others that include transit passengers can return to the country or use the Dubai airport.
The UAE had suspended flights from India starting April 24, 2021, during the time India was struggling with a devastating second wave that saw cases rising over 400,000 per day. The ban continued for nearly four months till August 5, 2021, when it was relaxed a bit.
During the time of the ban, only a tiny few were eligible to travel that witnessed flights by Air India and Emirates with just one passenger on-board.
