UAE allows transit flights from Pakistan from Aug 5

UAE allows transit flights from Pakistan from Aug 5!

The United Arab Emirates will lift a ban on transit flights including from India and Pakistan and other four countries, the National Emergency and Crisis Management Authority (NCEMA) announced on Tuesday.

NCEMA in a tweet said that the passengers travelling from countries where flights had been suspended would be able to transit through its airports from Thursday as long as they present negative PCR tests taken 72 hours prior to departure.

Final destination approval would also have to be provided, the authority said, adding that UAE departure airports would arrange separate lounges for transiting passengers.

The transit ban had also included Nepal, Sri Lanka, Uganda and Nigeria.

It is pertinent to mention here that India and Pakistan are important markets for Emirates, Etihad Airways and other UAE carriers flydubai and Air Arabia 

Furthermore, NCEMA said a ban on entry to the UAE for passengers from these countries would also be lifted for those with valid residencies and who are certified by Emirati authorities as fully vaccinated.

However, they would need to apply for online entry permits prior to travelling and would need to present a negative PCR test taken 48 hours prior to departure.

Those working in the medical, educational or government sectors in the Gulf Arab state, as well as those studying or completing medical treatment in the UAE, would be exempt from the vaccination requirement as would humanitarian cases.

The Gulf state, a major international travel hub, had banned passengers from many South Asian and African states from travelling through its airports this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.