India-UAE flights to resume from more cities today. Check travel guidelines here

In what comes as a piece of good news for passengers looking to fly to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from India, more flight services facilitating travel between the two countries are starting from Saturday (August 7). Etihad Airways, the second-largest airline and flag carrier of the UAE, said earlier this week that flights to Abu Dhabi from a number of Indian cities will be resuming from August 7. More such flights will begin on August 10 (Tuesday) from three additional cities, the airline said.

The UAE has not completely lifted the travel restriction on India, which means that not everyone will be allowed to fly to the country. Only UAE citizens and transit passengers from India are now allowed to travel to the UAE.

The UAE has lifted the transit ban for travellers from six countries, including India, travelling from and to the country amid the ongoing coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic. Besides India, the ban has been lifted for Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Nigeria, and Uganda.

India-UAE flights: All you need to know

Between August 7 (Saturday) and August 9 (Monday), Etihad Airways will operate India-UAE flight services from the international airports at Chennai, Kochi, Bengaluru, Trivandrum, and New Delhi. Starting next Tuesday, the airline will also resume similar flight services from three additional cities - Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, and Mumbai.

Notably, flights from India to cities in the UAE such as Sharjah and Dubai had already started earlier this week on Thursday (August 5). Two flights, operated by the UAE airlines Air Arabia and Emirates (one service each), departed from the Cochin International Airport in Kerala in the early hours of Thursday.

Air Arabia flight G9-426 departed to Sharjah at 3:50am with 69 passengers on board while Emirates operated EK 531 to Dubai with 99 passengers. The flight departed at 10.30am.

India-UAE flights: Covid-19 guidelines

According to the new travel guidelines issued by the UAE, Indians who own resident visas and are fully vaccinated in UAE and completed 14 days after the second dose will be permitted to enter the UAE on acceptance of their registration with either the GDRFA (General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs), Dubai, or the ICA (Federal Authority of Identity and Citizenship), UAE.

In a tweet, UAE's National Emergency and Crisis Management Authority (NCEMA) said, "These categories include those with valid residency permits who have received full vaccination doses in the UAE and 14 days have passed since receiving the second dose and who have vaccination certificates approved by the official authorities in the country."

Once in Abu Dhabi, all travellers will have to undergo mandatory quarantine for 10 days. Additionally, the travellers will have to wear a medically-approved tracking wristband, provided by the airport authorities, during the quarantine period.