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India-UAE flights resumption subject to federal government decision: Emirates official

Dubai - 'It is difficult for the airline to state a conclusive final date for end of travel suspensions'

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by Dhanusha Gokulan

Published: Thu 22 Jul 2021, 2:32 PM

Last updated: Thu 22 Jul 2021, 2:41 PM

The decision to resume India-UAE passenger entry is subject to federal government regulations, a top Emirates airline official has said.

It is difficult for the airline to state a conclusive final date for the end of travel suspensions, according to Emirates chief commercial officer Adnan Kazim.

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“It is difficult to ascertain a final timeline on when flights would reopen between India and the UAE. It depends on the federal government’s mandate. However, work is in progress and there is an obvious eagerness to open up this route for travellers,” he added.

The senior official was responding to a question posed by Khaleej Times as he addressed the media ahead of Emirates launching its first ever passenger service to Miami on July 22.

Inbound travel from South Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka have been suspended since April this year. Thousands of expatriates stranded in these countries have been desperately waiting to return to their jobs and families. Many are attempting to travel into the UAE by undergoing quarantine in a third country for 14 days.

The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) had recently said in a circular that inbound passenger travel from a total of 16 countries to the UAE will remain suspended until further notice.

Among the countries covered by the advisory are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Indonesia, Liberia, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Uganda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Zambia.

In a safety decision circular, the authority had said: “The current development on the Covid-19 pandemic leads the UAE to impose new flight and passengers’ restrictions. The UAE government is closely monitoring the situation and will provide further updates and instructions as necessary.”

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

Dhanusha Gokulan

Published: Thu 22 Jul 2021, 2:32 PM

Last updated: Thu 22 Jul 2021, 2:41 PM

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