SpiceJet flights to UAE from today

New Delhi: Airline major SpiceJet on Saturday said it will operate flights from across four stations in India to Ras Al-Khaimah (Dubai) between July 12 and 26 for eligible 'Identity and Citizenship (ICA) approved UAE residents'.

Accordingly, the airline will operate flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Kozhikode and Kochi to the UAE. "These flights will carry only those passengers who are destined for UAE," the airline said in a statement.

"From the Ras Al-Khaimah airport, SpiceJet will also be providing coaches, free of cost, for passengers travelling to Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi."

According to the airline, all passengers will be required to undertake a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test conducted not more than 96 hours prior to the departure while also carrying the Covid-19 negative test result to be eligible to board the flight. "Passengers must also have the Al-Hosn UAE App downloaded on their respective mobile phones. It is also mandatory for passengers to submit the health declaration form and quarantine undertaking form before boarding the flight," the statement said.

International flights in August?

On the other hand, with the Vande Bharat Mission stage four coming to an end on July 31, the DGCA is looking at two possibilities that can take a shape in August - either the VBM will be extended for the fifth phase or the government will open the skies for schedules international flights, but with capacity constraint.

When the government restarted the scheduled domestic flights, they reduced the flight capacity to one-third of the original schedule of air carriers. The same model can be applied in the international flights too. Not only this, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had said the government will start thinking on the resumption of scheduled international passenger flights soon. Currently the international flights are banned from operating in India as government announced lockdown on March 23.