Muscat: With Oman’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) having suspended flight arrivals from India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, many residents in Oman are in a hurry to bring their close family members who are on resident visa back to Oman.
Per a circular from CAA, effective 1800 hours April 24, flights from the above-mentioned countries shall remain suspended till further notice. Even travellers who have travelled to these countries 14 days prior to the booked date of journey to Oman shall be denied entry to Oman.
Flights between Oman and India are operating under an Air Bubble agreement which came into effect in October last year and is being renewed from time to time.
With Indian virus strain wreaking havoc, resulting in many colleges having shut, parents are in a hurry to get their kids back before April 24.
Additional fee
Vikram Patel, whose daughter is studying in Bangalore India says that he had originally booked his daughter for April 25 but now with this news, he had but to advance the travel date. “There is of course an additional fee charged for the change of date. With sudden developments happening around the world, and no clear idea on when the resumption of flights will happen, this is also the time for travel agents to add that extra charge wherever possible. They also know that we have no other choice.”
Many parents send their children to India for college studies after finishing their schooling in Oman. In January this year most of the colleges in India, started regular classes for students undergoing professional courses.
With the cases in India starting to go up in March, the universities requested students to get back to their respective home cities and countries, which saw many students coming back to Oman in the first week of April.