Dubai: Flights between India and UAE will remain suspended until July 6, Air India said in a tweet on Wednesday.
"In view of travel restrictions announced by the UAE government, flights between India and UAE are suspended till 06th Jul'21. Please keep a watch on our Twitter handle and website for further updates," said India's flagship carrier in a tweet, responding to a customer query.
Earlier, a customer care representative for Dubai's Emirates airline said the carrier was initially planning for a June 23 launch and was currently liaising with government authorities. A flydubai customer care representative said the next booking available from India's capital New Delhi to Dubai was only on July 7.
Flights from Indian cities were expected to resume on June 23 after Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management said passengers from India with a valid residence visa who have received two doses of a UAE-approved vaccine, will be allowed to travel.
Among the mandatory requirements announced for the India flights was the need for a negative test certificate from a PCR test taken 48 hours before departure.
The new protocol also said passengers from India were required to undergo a rapid PCR test four hours prior to departure to Dubai. One explanation for the delay offered by industry sources is that airports in India still lack the facilities for the rapid test.
“There is some confusion on the rapid test before 4 hours of departure - once that is sorted they will roll out the schedule of flights,” said a UAE-based travel agent.
