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On Friday, more than 28 flights from India brought stranded foreigners to Dubai and Sharjah airports.
Hundreds of stranded Indians flew to Dubai and Sharjah on the second day after resuming flights for certain exempt passengers from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Nigeria and Uganda.
Khaleej Times estimates based on information on the airline’s website that more than 28 flights from India brought stranded foreigners to Dubai and Sharjah airports on Friday. A total of 20 flights landed in Dubai and 8 landed in Sharjah. According to sources, most flights operate at approximately 50% of capacity.
Khaleej Times interviewed several passengers arriving from different cities in India at Dubai International Airport on Friday.
Saravanan Ravi Kumar works for a hotel management company in the Dubai World Trade Center. He arrived in Dubai early on Friday morning. The Dubai resident had traveled to India to be with his sick mother. But he stayed in his hometown for a few months. “I went to India in April for only one week. I have been trapped ever since. When I read about the resumption of the flight, I booked a ticket and got all the necessary documents.”
Saravanan said that the cost of rapid PCR testing at Chennai Airport is about 4,000 rupees (200 dirhams). “I paid about 30,000 rupees (AED 1,500) for a one-way ticket on Emirates from Chennai. You must arrive at the airport at least five hours before departure to complete all necessary procedures,” he added.
After arriving in Dubai, Saravanan received a PCR test at the airport and was advised to stay in isolation until the results came out.
In another example, the expatriate Saju Kizhakkekara and his wife saw their children four months later, which was a happy reunion for a family in Dubai.
Their son Kailasnath and daughter Durga went to India for vacation in March and were originally scheduled to return on April 29. But due to the suspension of travel to India, they were trapped.
“When we heard that the flight was resumed, we immediately booked the ticket for 75,000 rupees (3,750 dirhams).”
Earlier, Saju had booked and cancelled the ticket twice because there was no specific information about the resumption of services. He even plans to take a holiday in a third country, reunite with his children and return to Dubai.
“Our Armenian visa has been issued and we are ready to travel. After hearing that India has resumed our trip, we cancelled the trip,” Saju said. He said that the procedure was easy and his children did not encounter any problems. “All valid documents should be presented at Kochi Airport. The rapid PCR test at the airport costs 2,500 rupees (Dh125) per person,” he added.
At the same time, as the country’s airports are not yet equipped with rapid PCR testing facilities, many flights from Pakistan have been cancelled. Some UAE residents stranded in Karachi called Khaleej Times to explain the situation at the airport. They arrived at the airport at 3 in the morning, only to find that they were not allowed to fly.
“The airport does not have a rapid PCR testing facility. The officials at the airport told us that they learned of this a few hours before the flight time,” one of them told Khaleej Times.
One of them is a golden visa holder, and he is not allowed to board the plane. “I tried to convince them that I was a golden visa holder. It was useless. I believe I must be trapped for a few more days,” he told Khaleej Times.
Residents in Sri Lanka are also facing a similar situation. Dr. Yaheya Arfath was looking forward to his family from Sri Lanka on Saturday, but he was disappointed because Sri Lanka’s airport did not install a rapid PCR facility. “I’m waiting for my cousins. They have already booked the tickets. But I guess they have to postpone their return because there is no rapid PCR facility at the departure airport.” Dr. Yehya said.
Flights from India to Abu Dhabi from today
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, said it will resume flights from some cities in India to Abu Dhabi from August 7.
From August 10, the airline will open flights from three other Indian cities and three Pakistani cities to the UAE.
Etihad Airways stated on its website that between August 7th and 9th, the airline will operate flights from Chennai, Kochi, Bangalore, Trivandrum and New Delhi.
ayaz@khaleejtimes.com
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