UAE lifts transit ban on flights from India

NEW DELHI: Passengers from India will now be able to transit via the United Arab Emirates. The gulf country will on Thursday lift a ban on transit flights including from India, the National Emergency and Crisis Management Authority (NCEMA) said on Tuesday.
The NCEMA tweeted that passengers from countries where flights had been suspended will be allowed to transit via the UAE's airports starting August 5. Travellers will have to submit a negative PCR coronavirus test taken 72 hours prior to departure.
Separate lounges will be arranged for transiting passengers at UAE departure airports. The authority further added that final destination approval would also have to be provided.
Emirates -- Dubai's state carrier -- welcomed the government's decision to allow travel to resume from the affected countries.
The UAE had earlier banned travellers from many South Asian and African states travelling through its airports this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Apart from India, the transit ban had also included Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Uganda and Nigeria.
(With inputs from agencies)