International Flights: UAE Bans IndiGo From Operating Flights Till August 24 | Check Here Why

International Flights Latest News Today: Airline major IndiGo on Thursday said the UAE has banned the airline from operating flights for a week. However, the industry insiders alleged that the airline ferried few passengers, who violated travel testing norms for entering the UAE.

On the other hand, IndiGo issued a statement and said that all flights to the gulf country have been cancelled due to operational issues. “Due to operational issues, all IndiGo flights to UAE stand cancelled till August 24, 2021,” the airline said in a statement.

The airline said it has informed the passengers about the latest development and added that it will support them with refunds or accommodation in other flights once it resumes operations.

As per media reports, the suspension of IndiGo flights came into effect from Tuesday for carrying passengers who had not undergone a rapid-PCR test at the departure airport and will run till August 24.

It must be noted that the UAE has relaxed the restrictions by allowing permanent residents to enter the country but passengers are required to undergo a RT-PCR test 48 hours before departure and an another rapid-PCR test at the airport a few hours before the flight.

Apart from this, the passengers also need an approval letter from UAE authorities for travel to the Gulf country. As part of the guidelines, the airline check-in staff at the airport are also needed to check the test reports before accepting passengers.

It must be noted that the DGCA has suspended the scheduled international passenger flights till August 31. The DGCA, however, said that international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case-to-case basis.

Scheduled international passenger services have been suspended in India since March 23, 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic. But special international flights have been operating under the Vande Bharat Mission since May 2020 and under bilateral “air bubble” arrangements with selected countries since July 2020.

Till now, India has formed air bubble pacts with around 24 countries including the US, the UK, the UAE, Kenya, Bhutan and France. Under an air bubble pact between two countries, special international flights can be operated by their airlines between their territories.