UAE says no passengers on Vande Bharat flights to Dubai; its airline seeks nods to operate charters from India

NEW DELHI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has told Air India that transportation of passengers — whether UAE nationals or not — to the emirates on the repatriation Vande Bharat Mission (VBM) flights is not allowed. And that if any one wishes to fly on a VBM flight from India to Dubai, he or she will require “specific approval from the Embassy of UAE in New Delhi and UAE ministry of foreign affairs and international cooperation (MOFAIC),” said an Air India spokesperson on Wednesday after getting a response from UAE on the issue.
Meanwhile, a major UAE carrier on Wednesday sought India’s nod to operate charters — where its planes will fly with only crew to India and take passengers from here — as Dubai has allowed foreign nationals holding residency visas issued in Dubai to return to the emirate from Monday (June 22).International tourists are conditionally allowed to go to Dubai from July 7. “Just like AI is allowed to fly passengers one-way (UAE-India) on its repatriation VBM flights, this airline wants to fly passengers one-way (India-UAE),” said a person in the know.
Following UAE’s announcement, AI had sought nod from Dubai to fly people on India-Dubai legs of its VBM flights given the massive demand for travel from people here who wish to return to their jobs, homes and families there.
Some countries like US, Canada, UK, Franc, Germany and Singapore were allowing certain categories of non-citizens to fly from India on VBM flights since the mission — the world’s largest ever repatriation exercise — was launched on May 6. But now the US and France have started objecting to the same and want their airlines to be allowed to operate passengers charters on the lines of AI’s VBM.
An AI spokesperson said on Wednesday currently the airline is operating repatriation flights between India and UAE under VBM. “All foreign airline operators to UAE have to adhere to the conditions and restrictions mentioned during repatriation clearances. As per guidelines issued by the General Civil Aviation Authority of UAE (on June 23)…. transportation of passengers (UAE nationals and non-UAE nationals) to UAE on repatriation flights is not allowed.”
“In view of the foregoing, all passengers including Indian Nationals who are holding valid residency permit / work permit of UAE and have procured approval of the UAEs Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship- UAE (ICA) of United Arab Emirates or an approval from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) applicable to Dubai would need to have specific approval from the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in New Delhi and their UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC) to travel from India to United Arab Emirates (UAE) on these repatriation flights,” AI spokesperson said.
“All passengers need to comply with the quarantine and COVID-19 test requirements as per the preventive and the precautionary measures required by the appropriate health authorities, as notified from time to time,” she added.
Like India, Dubai has also suspended schedule commercial flights in and out of the emirate till the month-end for now. So the only option is to have charters and repatriation flights for countries with such restrictions on schedule operations. The UAE airline has sought aviation ministry’s nod to fly empty planes with only crew to India and take people from here, said a person in the know.
On Tuesday, the aviation ministry had said it is examining this request from many countries like the US, France and Germany to start flights on the lines of AI’s VBM. “As we contemplate further opening up in response to demands, we are looking at the prospect of establishing individual bilateral bubbles, India-US, India-France, India-Germany, India-UK. These are all destinations where demand for travel has not diminished. Final decisions pursuant to negotiations are expected to be taken soon,” the aviation ministry had said on Tuesday.