Dubai-based Emirates airline will operate special repatriation flights to five Indian cities between July 12 and 26 to assist stranded Indians get home and for residents of the UAE currently in India to return to the Gulf country.
The flights will be operated to Bengaluru, Delhi, Kochi, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram, the airline said in a statement on Saturday.
Only Indian citizens stranded in the UAE will be allowed to fly from Dubai to the five Indian destinations, it clarified.
“These flights will be available for UAE nationals and residents with prior entry approval from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs (GDFRA) for residents of Dubai and ICA approval for residents of other emirates of the UAE,” the airline said.
The ICA stands for the UAE’s Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship.
India had suspended all scheduled international passenger flights on March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Many Indian nationals who have valid residence permits of the UAE and are currently in India have been complaining on social media for the last few weeks about the lack of flights between the two countries.
Emirates said all passengers travelling from India to Dubai are also required to carry a negative Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) certificate issued by a laboratory authorised by the Indian government.
“Certificates must be issued no more than 96 hours before departure,” the airline noted.
(With inputs from PTI)
Source: Thanks WIONews.com