Emirates airline announced that travel is currently not possible for passengers heading to Dubai as their final destination from Bangladesh, Nigeria, Vietnam, Zambia and Indonesia as there are no rapid PCR testing facilities at the airports.
A fresh travel update on the Dubai carrier's website said: “For passengers travelling to Dubai as their final destination from Bangladesh, Nigeria, Vietnam, Zambia and Indonesia travel is currently not possible as there are no rapid PCR testing facilities at the airport.”
However, all residents from the above five countries are allowed to travel to Dubai - according to the guidelines issued by Emirates - if they meet all the Covid-19 testing requirements, according to the Khaleej Times.
One of the requirements for travel from restricted countries to Dubai is a rapid PCR test done six hours prior to departure.
Malik Bedekar, operations manager, Smart Travels, had told the newspaper that there is very high demand for travellers from Bangladesh.
“However, the SOP for travellers and tourist visa holders from the South Asian country is still unclear,” he said. “Once airlines clarify these rules, I predict airfares should go up again.
Demand for tickets from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal to Dubai have soared in recent days. The busiest sector, with stiff hikes in fares, is Kerala, followed by Mumbai and Delhi.
Transit rules
All transit passengers must complete all the requirements of their final destination, the Gulf News reports citing the airline.
Transit passengers from the following countries must present a negative Covid-19 PCR test certificate for a test taken no more than 72 hours before departure: Bangladesh, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia, Indonesia
All other transit passengers are not required to present this certificate unless it is mandated by their final destination.
