UAE jabbed can fly in without RTPCR; fare is up

Mangaluru: With the United Arab Emirates (UAE) being added to India’s list of countries/regions from where vaccination schedule completion certificate is recognised, passengers who have been fully vaccinated in the UAE need not take a Covid PCR test before travelling to India.
Earlier, only passengers who held a vaccination certificate issued in India were eligible for the pre-travel PCR test exemption. Airlines have received communication to this effect recently and UAE figures in the list of 108 countries - whose primary vaccination schedule completion certificate is allowed to be uploaded on Air Suvidha portal instead of RT-PCR test. With this, near normalcy has been established flying to the Middle East. In February, passengers who were double vaccinated in India did not require RT-PCR for departure from India as well as no PCR test was conducted while landing in the UAE airports.
But on the flipside, easing of flying with removal of air bubble flight arrangements, there was a general feeling that fares would moderate. But the fares between Mangaluru to Dubai have nearly doubled from pre-pandemic levels.
The fares are at least 50% higher than pre-pandemic levels with the minimum one-way fare to Dubai from Mangaluru hovering above the Rs 12,000 mark and a return ticket costing upwards of Rs 28,000 during off season time. The holiday season fare is double the normal fare, with a one-way fare from Dubai to Mangaluru already touching Rs 20,000 and return fare touching Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 for the July-August months. Summer break for UAE schools start late June and ends in August.
Airline sources indicated that though airlines could reduce the fares by about 10%, they are in no mood since aviation fuel prices have shot up, plus all the flights are going to the Middle East near full capacity.