Can I travel to India given international flight ban there?
Specifically approved flights from the UAE to India include those for stranded Indian nationals or UAE nationals looking to visit the country
On September 28, India’s Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced that it had extended the international flight ban till October 31, 2021.
While India’s aviation authorities have been regularly posting on the extension of the international flight ban, as an expatriate Indian based in the UAE, you may be wondering what the ban means for you. Can you still travel to India, and fly back to the UAE? Here is all you need to know.
What is the international flight ban?
On September 28, the DGCA updated its social media channels with a circular, which read: “In partial modification of circular dated June 26, 2020, the competent authority has further extended the validity of circular issued on the subject cited above regarding Scheduled International commercial passenger services to/from India till 2359 hours IST [Indian Standard Time] of October 31, 2021. This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA.”
The circular added: “However, International Scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case to case basis.”
How does it affect flights to and from the UAE?
While Indian authorities have put a ban on International Scheduled flights, as mentioned in the circular, there are certain flights specifically approved by the DGCA. For example, India has signed ‘Transport Bubbles’ or ‘Air Travel Arrangements’ with 28 countries, as per the website of the India’s Civil Aviation Ministry.
As per the agreement details mentioned on the website for the agreement with
the UAE, Indian and UAE carriers are permitted to operate flights between India and UAE for certain categories of passengers.
For flights from the UAE to India, these categories include Indian nationals stranded in UAE as well as UAE nationals intending to visit India for any purpose, along with other categories of travellers.
For updates announced by UAE authorities on travel from India to the UAE and more such interesting stories related to Living in UAE, visit gulfnews. com/living-in-uae or write to us at readers@gulfnews.com
This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA [India’s aviation regulator].” Circular issued by DGCA