Inbound flights from India will remain suspended until July 31, Etihad Airways confirmed. Earlier Emirates had made a similar announcement.

Etihad said on Twitter in reply to a customer query: “Following the latest UAE Government directives, passenger travel from India to the UAE and Etihad’s network has been suspended effective until 31 July 2021.”

There has been a travel ban on flights from India since April owing to the surge in COVID-19 cases in the country; the second wave had seen the spread of the highly transmissible ‘Delta’ variant virus.

But UAE nationals, holders of UAE Golden Visas and members of diplomatic missions who comply with the updated COVID-19 protocols, are exempt from the ban.

Emirates has also suspended flights to and from South Africa and Nigeria till July 31, 2021, in line with government directives.

Although Emirates briefly announced that international flights to Dubai will begin for vaccinated residents on June 23, the decision was revised and the ban was put in place till July 21. The airlines will keep tickets open for passengers who have encountered a flight cancellation.

However, Indian expats desperate to get back to their work in the UAE, have used other means to enter the country. They have taken flights to countries in the UAE green list – Uzbekistan, Serbia, Armenia, Ethiopia etc. – and spent the required 14-day quarantine in those countries before flying to the UAE.

Chauffeur service for economy passengers

Etihad has now rolled out a private chauffeur service for economy passengers to select destinations. They will be collected from Abu Dhabi International Airport and taken directly to their home, hotel or preferred destination in the emirate of Dubai. Indian cities do not figure in the list of destinations as of now.

The offer has come as a welcome news for holiday makers during the six-day Eid al Adha holiday beginning on July 19.

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Those booked to fly with Etihad between now and December 31, 2020 will qualify for the COVID-19 cover.
The insurance, made in partnership with AXA, is valid worldwide for 31 days from four hours before passengers depart on their first Etihad flight. The cover ceases when travellers return to their home country, or after 31 days, whichever happens first.

Travellers diagnosed with COVID -19 will be automatically covered for medical expenses or quarantine costs when flying with the national airline. Travellers who want to use Etihad’s coverage must contact the assistance team as early as possible, because medical expenses taken before this will not be reimbursed.

The policy has medical cover up to €150,000 (Dh651,000), and up to €100 per day for quarantine costs for 14 days. It also covers medical repatriation for the insured person and one travel companion, plus any accompanying children.

If the infection results in death, Etihad will cover the costs of repatriating the body back to the country of departure or to another specified location, as well as reimburse up to €1,500 in funeral costs.

Travellers diagnosed with Covid-19 while on their trip must contact the airline’s COVID-19 assistance team. There is a dedicated 24-hour hotline for both Arabic (+971 4 507 4002) and English (+971 4 507 4007) speakers.
All passengers flying with Etihad must have a negative Covid-19 test before travelling, but the policy does not cover the cost of this process.

Meanwhile, Etihad said on September 7 that the pay cut for employees will be extended till end of 2020. Emirates, on the other hand, has said that it will pay full salaries from October. The Dubai carrier has resumed flights to 84 destinations.

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At least 127 Bangladeshis and 65 Indians stranded at the UAE airports flew back home on August 18, Khaleej Times reported quoting diplomats.

The newspaper had earlier reported the plight of passengers from Kerala on an Etihad flight. They had flown to the UAE after the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) said a pre-travel approval from the Federal Authority of Identity and Citizenship (ICA) was not required for residents to return.

The five passengers landed in Abu Dhabi on the Etihad Airways flight on August 15, and some 18 travellers in Sharjah airport on board Air Arabia two days later. said they were “not being allowed to enter the country”. The Abu Dhabi flight was from Kerala, while the other came from Lucknow.
The passengers and their travel agents said they were probably not allowed to exit the airports because they did not receive a green “OK to travel” status from the ICA when their documents were verified on the www.uaeentry.ica.gov.ae website.

Lasith Kayakkal, a furniture store employer whose two employees were stranded at Sharjah airport, said they had received a ‘red’ ICA notice that advised them to travel at a later date. But they had travelled on the assumption that they did not need pre-travel approvals. “My employees are needed back at work, and they had to travel long distances and spend hundreds on Covid-19 tests to come back,” he said.

Babu Parappurath, a firefighter with an Abu Dhabi government company, was one of the five Keralites held up at Abu Dhabi airport. He had travelled to India on March 9 and had got stranded there due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Only one of the five was able to exit the airport and the rest had to fly back.

Neeraj Agarwal, Consul – Press, Information and Culture, said at least 43 Indians on an Indigo Airlines flight and 18 passengers on an Air Arabia one from Lucknow stranded in Sharjah airport have flown back.

According to Bangladesh Ambassador to the UAE, Mohammed Abu Zafar, of the 400 passengers who arrived on Air Arabia and Biman Airlines at the Abu Dhabi International Airport, 127 were not allowed to exit the airport and flew back in the last two days.

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“During this period, the airline will operate services to Abu Dhabi from Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai to Abu Dhabi,” the company said in a statement on June 10. “All passengers must have ICA approval from the government of Abu Dhabi before they travel and will not be permitted to check-in without the necessary approvals.”

On July 9, India and the UAE agreed to operate special repatriation flights between the two countries from July 12-26.

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Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has announced that it will add flight service to 15 more destinations. The services will begin from July 16.
“Throughout July, we’re planning to operate flights to more than 40 worldwide destinations. We continue to work closely with the UAE government and global aviation authorities to increase our network in the future,” said Etihad Airways.
From July 16, Etihad will be adding some major Indian cities such as Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kozhikode and Mumbai. It will also add the Maldives in the list. Etihad will be flying to Amman and Cairo from July 16. To Europe, the airline is adding flights to five cities, including Manchester, Munich and Istanbul.
The airline said passengers can check in and choose their seats online around 30 hours before departure. It is said passengers needn’t bother with a COVID-19 test before they travel to the airport.

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Emirates has announced that it will start flying to 52 destinations in July, offering travellers connections between the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas through its Dubai hub, while ensuring the health and safety of customers and employees on the ground and in the air.
On June 29, it announced that it will re-start passenger flights to Cairo and Tunis from July 1, Glasgow from July 15 and Malé from July 16. These flights can be booked online on its website or via travel agents.
Customers can also travel to Dubai when the city opens to business and leisure visitors from July 7; new air travel protocols will be in place to facilitate travel for UAE citizens, residents and tourists.
Emirates has implemented a comprehensive set of measures, including the distribution of complimentary hygiene kits containing masks, gloves, hand sanitiser and antibacterial wipes to all customers.
The travel restrictions in force will mean that passengers will be accepted on flights only if they comply with the eligibility and entry criteria requirements of their destination countries. Visitors to Dubai should hold an international health insurance policy covering illness from COVID-19 for the duration of their stay.
Flights to India
According to a source The Gulf Indians spoke to, flights to India are expected to open only by July 30. The airline is ready to operate flights to India but the latter has not opened its borders yet.
However, special repatriation flights are being operated by Emirates to take home Indians facing health and personal emergencies.
India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had earlier tweeted that all four UAE airlines – Emirates, Etihad, Flydubai and Air Arabia – were involved in these humanitarian missions.

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