India-UAE flights: several airlines reopen bookings

Seat availability does not mean restrictions on inbound flights will be lifted on July 15, travel agents warned

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  A Covid-19 patient rests in the intensive care ward of a hospital in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru.

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  A health worker takes photograph of a patient holding a Covid-19 positive certificate at a hospital in India’s north-eastern city of Guwahati.

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  A suspected Covid-19 patient is comforted by a relative as he is given oxygen at a Sikh shrine, or gurdwara, on the outskirts of Delhi, India.

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  A worker walks past a funeral pyre of a person who died of Covid-19, at a cremation ground in India’s northern city of Allahabad.

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  An ambulance delivers the body of a Covid-19 victim to a makeshift crematorium inside a disused granite quarry on the outskirts of the southern Indian city of Bengaluru.

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  A health worker takes a mouth swab sample of a boy to test for Covid-19 in Srinagar, in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

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  People queue to refill oxygen cylinders for Covid-19 patients at a centre in India's capital New Delhi.

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  A relative wearing personal protective equipment mourns during the last rites of a Covid-19 victim at a makeshift cremation ground in New Delhi, India.

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  Farmers urge a shopkeeper to open her shop in the north-west Indian city of Amritsar, as they take part in a protest against the weekend coronavirus lockdown imposed by the Punjab state government.

Latest: India passenger flights to Dubai remain suspended until July 21, says Emirates

Several airlines have reopened bookings on flights from India to the UAE this week, in anticipation of a ban being lifted.

But travel agents have warned current restrictions could be extended beyond July 15.

Flights from Thursday, July 15, onwards are available on Indian airlines Vistara, and from Friday, July 16, with Emirates and flydubai.

The UAE suspended flights from India in late April, when the Delta variant swept through Indian cities and the number of new cases there hit 300,000 a day.

On May 12, the government expanded this to include Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh.

Last week, Emirates airline extended the ban on passenger flights from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, plus South Africa and Nigeria, until July 15, based on instructions from the authorities.

Although inbound flights from Pakistan were not listed on airline websites, Emirates was showing flights from Sri Lanka available from July 16, while flydubai was offering them from July 27.

Etihad Airways has extended its suspension of flights from the South Asian countries until July 21.

Authorities have extended the ban on inbound flights several times since April 24, as they continue to review the Covid-19 situation in these countries where high numbers of the highly transmissible Delta variant has been recorded.

Dinesh Uttwani, a travel agent at Musafir.com, said passengers can now make bookings — but cannot guarantee that restrictions will be lifted.

“The opening of bookings does not mean that the ban will be removed by then,” he said.

“People can make the bookings if they wish, but it will only be guaranteed once authorities announce officially that the ban has been removed.”

Sitti Abdul Qaadir, a travel agent at Tabeer Tours, also warned passengers about possible ban extensions, despite seats being made available.

“It is not guaranteed that flight restrictions will be lifted by then,” she said.

Current regulations also state that passengers who have transited through those countries in the past 14 days will not be allowed to travel to the UAE from any other point.

UAE citizens, holders of UAE golden visas and diplomats who comply with updated Covid-19 protocols are exempt from the rules.

On Saturday, the UAE's aviation authority said it would ban passengers arriving from Afghanistan and Indonesia, which have seen a surge in cases in recent weeks, from 11.59pm on Sunday.

The General Civil Aviation Authority and National Authority for Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management said transit flights could continue.

In Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country, the number of new daily cases has risen dramatically from about 3,000 in May to 38,000 on Thursday. Hospitals face severe shortages of oxygen, officials warned on Friday.

Indonesia faces dramatic surge in cases — in pictures

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  A man receives a dose of the Sinovac Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine at a convention hall building in Banda Aceh.

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  A man falls to the ground as he weeps during the burial of a relative who died of COVID-19, at the Rorotan Cemetery in Jakarta, Indonesia.

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  A woman carries her oxygen tank after having it refilled at a recharging station in Jakarta, Indonesia.

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  People wait for their turn to refill their oxygen tanks at a recharging station in Jakarta, Indonesia.

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  Graveyard workers move the coffin of a Covid-19 coronavirus victim with a vehicle at the Keputih cemetery in Surabaya of East Java.

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  A police officer checks a document from a driver as Indonesia imposes emergency measures, tightening restrictions in Java and Bali amid a surge in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, in Depok, Indonesia.

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  People wearing protective face masks take part in rituals amid a surge of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Tulungagung, East Java province, Indonesia.

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  A water cannon vehicle sprays disinfectant amid a surge of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Tibawa, Gorontalo province, Indonesia.