UAE to ease flight restrictions to India, Pakistan and four other countries from August 5

The UAE, a major international travel hub, has banned passengers from many South Asian and African countries for several months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Due to Covid -19 flights from other countries to UAE being suspended many times for people safety,

But now UAE to allow residents and certain categories of travellers to return from August 5, who are stranded abroad, to fly back to the Emirates.

The UAE government said all vaccinated individuals and unvaccinated people in certain job categories can seek permission to return from August 5.

The categories include medical workers, teachers at schools and universities in the Emirates, students, residents with extenuating circumstances, people undergoing medical treatment in the UAE and people who work for federal or local government agencies. People in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Nigeria, and Uganda are included in this list.

UAE Airports gears up for surge

After this announcement, Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said Dubai International (DXB) will see a surge in passenger numbers in the “coming weeks and months,”.

Dubai International Airport is targeting an 8% growth in passenger traffic this year to 28 million. It handled 86.4 million in 2019, the year before the pandemic struck.

The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA), said fully vaccinated UAE residents holding valid visas from those countries can fly back to UAE. The decision, which extends to certain other categories of passengers such as medical staff and students, also applies to Nigeria and Uganda.

“Southeast Asia is a major source market for Dubai’s trade, aviation and tourism sectors and the conditional lifting of restrictions on inbound travellers from the region as well as from Nigeria and Uganda will boost economic activity while enabling thousands of residents to return to their families and work here in the UAE,” said Griffiths.

“We reopened Terminal 1 and Concourse D just over a month ago in preparation for the seasonal rush of travellers and I am glad to confirm that we are ready to accommodate the anticipated surge in the coming weeks and months,” said Griffiths.

“Dubai has successfully spearheaded international efforts to facilitate the social and economic recovery of the world by safely restoring vital international air connectivity and this decision is very much in line with that approach,” he added.