The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has temporarily suspended visa on arrival facility for Indian nationals who have visa or residence permit issued by the United States, the United Kingdom or a European Union member state. Papua New Guinea also banned flights from India indefinitely on Tuesday and accused the South Asian country’s diplomats of “deception†over apparent breaches to Covid-19 travel rules.
“The UAE authorities have decided to temporarily suspend the Visa-on-arrival facility for passengers who are arriving from or been in India in the past 14 days,†Etihad said on Twitter in response to a user’s query whether an Indian citizen holding a US visa can fly to Abu Dhabi and get visa-on-arrival and travel to Dubai without quarantine. The airline also advised passengers to “please keep an eye on https: //bit.ly/TravelGuideEN for latest regulationsâ€.
It did not provide any reason or further details for the decision, but said that the details will be updated on the airline’s website. Last week, Etihad had announced that Indian nationals with a visa or residence permit issued by the US, UK or an EU member state are eligible for UAE visa.
“If you’re an Indian citizen, you are now eligible to apply for a visa when you arrive in the UAE, including
Abu Dhabi. To qualify, you must have a US Visitor Visa or Green Card, or holding a UK or EU residence valid for at least 6 months ,and your passport must have at least six months validity,†the airline’s website had said.
Earlier this month, the UAE eased Covid-19 restrictions by issuing new travel protocol that allowed passengers from India and five other countries. However, all flyers were asked to undergo a Polymerase Chain Reaction test on the day of arrival and on the ninth day after arrival in the UAE. Last week, the United States eased the travel restrictions for India as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lowered India to “Level 2: Moderate,†while the US State Department eased the rating to “Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution.â€
Meanwhile a repatriation charter flight from India arrived in Papua New
Guinea via Indonesia early on Tuesday with 111 people on board, 30 more than the original number approved, according to officials.
The flight had been the subject of intense negotiations between officials in both countries and was rejected four times by Papua New Guinea over virus fears before an agreement was reached to allow 81 passengers to enter.
