Image for representation. (Image source: Reuters)
Five days ago, Air India Express had said that the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority suspended its flights for 24 hours for carrying two passengers with positive COVID certificates on August 28 and September 4.
- PTI
- Last update: September 23, 2020 4:42 PM IST
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Saudi Arabia has banned flights to and from India since Tuesday amid a surge in coronavirus cases, according to an official document. In a circular issued Tuesday, the General Civil Aviation Authority of Saudi Arabia (GACA) said it was “suspending travel to and from the following countries: (India, Brazil and Argentina), including anyone who has been to any of the countries mentioned above, in the last 14 days before your arrival in the Kingdom ”.
However, it excluded “passengers who have official government invitations. The GACA circular – entitled: Suspension of travel to countries where the COVID-19 virus has broken out” – was flagged to all airlines and chartered flight companies operating in airports in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are home to a significant population of Indian immigrants. Five days ago, Air India Express had said that the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) suspended its flights for 24 hours for carrying two passengers with positive COVID certificates on August 28 and September 4.
Dubai is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Scheduled international passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 23 due to the outbreak. However, special international flights have been operating between India and Saudi Arabia since May 6 under the Vande Bharat mission. The number of COVID-19 cases in India has reached 56,46,010, and the death toll has risen to 90,020 with 1,085 people succumbing to the disease in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health data updated to 8 am on Wednesday.
After a day of suspension for bringing passengers with COVID-positive certificates, Air India Express resumed its flights to Dubai on Saturday. According to UAE government rules, all passengers traveling from India must bring an original negative COVID certificate from an RT-PCR test performed within 96 hours prior to travel.
Hong Kong has banned Air India flights from Sunday to October 3 after some passengers on their flight on Friday tested positive for COVID-19 after arrival, a senior government official said on Sunday. Air India passenger flights were banned from landing in Hong Kong between August 18 and 31 after 14 passengers on their Delhi-Hong Kong flight on August 14 tested positive for COVID-19 after arrival.
Passengers from India can reach Hong Kong only if they have a negative COVID-19 certificate from a test conducted within 72 hours prior to travel, in accordance with rules issued by the Hong Kong government in July.
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