Days after the Emirates suspended the flight services from India, the Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways on Saturday said that suspension of flights from India and two other countries to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital city has been extended till July 31. In a statement, Etihad Airways said the flight services have also been suspended from Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Earlier, Etihad Airways had suspended the flight services from five countries, including India, until July 21. The national carrier had said passenger flights from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka have been extended
Taking to Twitter, Etihad said, “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.
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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.
On the other hand, the UAE’s general civil aviation authority (GCAA) had earlier clarified that passenger flights between the Gulf nation and India will remain suspended until further notice, as reported by an Indian newspaper.
However, Etihad Airways said that the UAE nationals, UAE golden visa holders, and members of diplomatic missions who comply with updated COVID-19 protocols are exempt and can be accepted for travel. “Our contact centres are experiencing a greater volume of calls than anticipated. If your call is not related to travel within the next 48 hours, please consider calling back later,” said the Etihad.
Notably, the Dubai-based airline has suspended flights from India since April 24 after the second deadly wave of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Prior to Etihad, the Emirates had on July 3 suspended all passenger flights from India until further notice. The airline further said that the passengers who have transited through India in the last 14 days will not be permitted to board from any other point to the UAE. However, the UAE Nationals, holders of UAE Golden Visas and members of diplomatic missions who comply with the COVID-19 protocols will be exempted from the ban, the airline added.
Due to a massive surge in Covid cases, the UAE has suspended all incoming flights on national and foreign carriers from India starting April 25. After the announcement, Emirates and Etihad have suspended passenger flights from India from April 24 until June 30. In the meantime, the UAE has also prohibited its citizens from travelling to 14 countries, including India as a Covid precautionary measure.
On June 30, the Indian aviation regulator DGCA also extended the suspension of scheduled international commercial passenger flights till July 31 and said the international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case to case basis. It also said the restriction will not apply to international all-cargo operations flights that have been approved by DGCA.
