Abu Dhabi: Keeping the COVID-19 situation in India and other countries in view, UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has announced that the inbound passenger traffic from sixteen countries including India would remain suspended until further notice.
Travel suspensions from 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 new safety decision, the authority maintained the status quo of previously issued travel restrictions.
“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,” a GCAA circular said.
All other travel protocols previously mentioned – including allowing entry only to UAE nationals, diplomats, and gold and silver visa holders – will remain in effect.
The general civil aviation authority said the regulations for private charter planes are still in place, with no more than eight passengers allowed to travel on each flight.
Inbound travel from South Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka has been suspended since April 24.
Thousands of UAE expatriates, stranded in these countries, are desperately waiting to return to their jobs and families.