UAE flights: relaxation of travel regulations for vaccinated foreigners in quarantine countries-News

Agents told Khaleej Times that residents currently undergoing 14-day quarantine in a third country can now return to the UAE even before the end of the two-week quarantine period.

The new regulations apply to passengers from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Nigeria and Uganda.

“As long as they follow the same list of rules set by the UAE authorities for passengers from these countries, they can return, which means they must be fully vaccinated in the UAE and must hold a valid residence visa,” Rashish Babu explain. Group chief operating officer of online travel agency Musafir.com.

Pre-travel approval by the relevant immigration authorities (depending on the emirate they fly to) is also mandatory.

He added: “Some of our passengers have booked their tickets through Sharjah-based low-cost airline Air Arabia, and they will return to the UAE before completing the 14-day quarantine.”

An Arab Airlines call center agent explained that although Tashkent International Airport in Uzbekistan provides rapid testing facilities, the remaining passengers are tested in authorized laboratories a few hours before flying to the UAE.

Since May this year, countries such as Armenia, Uzbekistan, Serbia, and Maldives have become popular quarantine destinations for residents stranded in the “red list” countries of the UAE.

“In the past few months, a large number of residents have travelled to these destinations and returned to the UAE,” explained TP Sudheesh, general manager of Deira Travels.

Last week, the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) announced that fully vaccinated residency visa holders from red-listed countries can return to the UAE from August 5, as long as they are in the UAE Two vaccines were taken. Certain categories of travelers—including medical staff, teachers, students, Expo 2020 staff, and humanitarian cases—are allowed to travel without vaccinations.

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

Danusha Gukulan

Dhanusha Gokulan is from India and has been a journalist for more than ten years. For Khaleej Times, she reports on NRI affairs, civil aviation and immigration issues. She received a bachelor’s degree in journalism, economics and English literature from Mangalore University in 2008, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in contemporary media leadership and innovation at the American University in Dubai. In her spare time, she gets involved in singing/song writing, loves food, and is the mother of an over-enthusiastic Labrador Retriever. On her Twitter @shootsprintrite.