National carrier Etihad Airways announced that flights from India to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will remain suspended till August 2. The date could even be extended, depending on directions by the UAE officials, Khaleej Times reported.
In a tweet, Etihad Airways Guest Relations said, “We’ve just received confirmation that flights from India are suspended till the 2nd August, and we are not entirely sure if this will be extended as it depends on the authorities.”
Dubai is one of the most popular destinations in the world for both leisure and business travellers. There was a huge demand to reopen flights on this route as the Covid-19 cases has declined drastically in India.
The expats stuck in India should wait for the UAE Government’s confirmation for resumption of flights before making any flight bookings, according to travel industry experts. At present there are several airlines that are selling non-refundable tickets and it is better to wait for official approval before confirming any flight booking.
There were speculations that the Arab country will lift the suspension from July 21. However, there was no official word from the GCAA.
On June 24, the UAE regulator banned flights from India, including other 13 countries in a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) on and quoted that the operations will remain suspended till 11.59 pm on July 21. But now the suspension has been extended to August.
As the Etihad Airways and Emirates have further extended flight suspension from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the expatriates stuck there were hoping to return to the UAE to resume work and business, received a huge jolt.
In July, the Canadian government has also announced that it has extended the ban on incoming passenger flights from India for one month due to the Delta strain of Covid-19.
