The United Arab Emirates started special repatriation flights to India on Sunday, July 12. The current repatriation process would last for 15 days, ending on July 26. It was launched with an aim to take stranded Indian nationals back to their country and bring back the UAE residents from India.

As part of the repatriation agreement, flights would be operated to five Indian destinations including Bengaluru, Delhi, Kochi, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram; each scheduled for two times a day, besides Mumbai, which would receive three times daily and Thiruvananthapuram one flight a day. Though the flights to Bengaluru and Mumbai would be subject to respective state governments’ approval.

The Emirates issued a statement saying, “Flights can be booked on emirates.com, through travel agents, Emirates’ sales offices and contact centre. Passengers must meet all the entry requirements of the destination to be allowed to board the flights.”

The statement added, “Only Indian citizens stranded in the UAE will be allowed to fly from Dubai to the five Indian destinations.These flights will be available for UAE nationals and residents with prior entry approval from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs, GDFRA, for residents of Dubai and ICA approval for residents of other emirates of the UAE.”

Authorities also asked the passengers to comply with the travel rules, including arriving at the airport four hours prior to departure and wearing medical masks and gloves at the airport, on board the plane, and in transit.

The Emirati government also issued a directive making it mandatory for UAE residents travelling from India to Dubai to carry a negative Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) certificate issued by a laboratory authorised by the government of India. It added that the certificates, which need to be shown at the time of boarding, would not be accepted if issued more than 96 hours before departure.

WAM