Joy as flights resume from India to Dubai
EMIRATES, INDIAN AIRLINES OPERATING TO SEVERAL CITIES
Indian airlines joined Emirates airline in resuming flights between Indian cities and Dubai as the suspension of flights to the UAE from six countries ended yesterday.
UAE on Tuesday announced that fully vaccinated residents from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Nigeria and Uganda can return starting yesterday subject to conditions, incluluding tests and approval.
Flights from India carrying stranded residents were the first to land in Dubai early yesterday. Seven Emirates flights arrived from cities such as Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kochi and New Delhi.
An Air India Express flight arrived from Kochi and the budget airline was expected to operate flights from Kozhikode and Mumbai later.
An Indigo flight also landed in Dubai from Kolkata. The airline is expected to operate flights from Tiruchirapalli, Mumbai, Kochi and Lucknow.
Flydubai has opened bookings for flights from New Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi.
Passengers relieved
Dozens of passengers from Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram were among the first to step out of Terminal 3 yesterday. Neethu Raveendran, a nurse working in Abu Dhabi, thanked the UAE Government for paving the way for her family’s return.
“We had gone home on annual vacation on April 16 as my brother was getting married. We were hoping to return after 45 days, but got stuck there,” said Neethu, who flew in with her husband and two children. The updated rules allow stranded residents working in UAE’s health, education and government sectors to travel even if not fully vaccinated. There is, however, a testing protocol and quarantine.
Fares expected to soar
India-UAE air fares are expected to rise in the coming days. A flight from New Delhi to Dubai can cost between Dh800 and Dh1,040, while fares from Mumbai could reach as much as Dh2,146. A flight from Kochi in Kerala could cost at least Dh1,034.
Fares, which generally fall in the Dh300-Dh500 range, should return to normal as pentup demand starts to die out and more airlines add capacity.
The UAE has one of the world’s most successful vaccination programmes with over 79 per cent of the population having received one dose and over 71 per cent fully vaccinated.
MI just applied for the GDRFA approval yesterday and got it right away. I took a Covid test there [within 48 hours prior to departure].”
Bertin Raju | Indian expat
onths of tension and frustration gave way to relief and joy for the first batches of stranded UAE residents who arrived from their home countries in Dubai yesterday.
The National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) and the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) on Tuesday announced that fully-vaccinated residence visa holders from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Nigeria and Uganda can return to the UAE.
Flights from India were the first ones to land in Dubai with stranded UAE residents early this morning.
A few dozens of passengers from Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram in the South Indian state of Kerala, who were among the first to come out of Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport, shared with Gulf News their stories of long wait for the flights to resume and how they finally made it on the first flights back.
Neethu Raveendran, an Indian nurse working in Abu Dhabi, had no words to thank God and the UAE government for finally paving the way for her family’s return. “We had gone home on annual vacation on April 16 as my brother was getting married. We were hoping to return after 45 days but got stuck there,” said Neethu who flew in with her husband and two children.
Simple procedures
One of the first passengers to arrive, Bertin Raju said: “I just got back from Kochi. I have been there for around five months. Got stuck there (after the entry of passengers were restricted). Thanks to the UAE for letting us back in.”
Bertin, who had taken two doses of Covid-19 vaccine in the UAE, said the travel procedures to return from India were “quite smooth”. “I just applied for the GDRFA approval yesterday and got it right away. I took a Covid test there (within 48 hours prior to departure). Then did the rapid test at the airport (four hours prior to boarding) and the Covid test again here (on arrival).
‘I am lucky my Armenia visa got rejected’
Dubai resident Manzoor Abdul Azeez, who works with an insurance company, arrived from Kochi. He said he had flown home on July 1 for some emergency personal work and had planned to get back in two weeks as there was news that flights would resume on July 15.
“There was a lot of pressure because we have a lot of workload at office. Since flights didn’t start I had taken a package to travel via Armenia. I was supposed to fly Armenia today. But my visa application got rejected on Tuesday. I am lucky I didn’t have to fly to Armenia and I could fly to Dubai on the first flight itself.”
Happy to be back
M. Abdul Rahman, a driver with a Sharjah school, said he was thrilled to fly back yesterday as he would be able to finish the mandatory quarantine for 10 days and resume work on August 15, the day he was expected to report. “I had gone home on vacation because I was not able to visit my mother when she underwent a surgery. When the flights got delayed I paid Rs130,000 (Dh6,444) for coming to the UAE via Maldives. That flight was yesterday. Since I cancelled the package and that flight was still on, the travel agency is refusing to refund the amount. I am still bargaining with them to get at least a partial refund.”
Peace of mind
Sandhu Santhosh and his wife Dakshina came from Thiruvananthapuram. The couple said they had booked their tickets for August 5 to Maldives and lost around Rs80,000 after they cancelled the trip when they got to know they could fly to Dubai on the same day.
“We lost some money but that is okay compared to the peace of mind that we lost because of the delay in getting back to our work places,” said Sandhu, a visual editor with an advertising company. The couple said they had flown home on April 30 because Dakshina’s mother was not well. “We were stuck in India for three months. Finally, we are happy to be back on the very first flight,” said Dakshina, an accountant with a Dubai school.