[REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE] File photo of Air India Express aircraft (Photo Credits: PTI)Air India confirmed on Friday evening that all Air India Express flights from/to Dubai will operate from September 19.
"All Air India Express flights from/to Dubai will operate as per original schedule w.e.f tomorrow," the carrier said.Earlier on Friday morning, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority temporarily suspended Air India Express flights scheduled to resume from September 13 for another 15 days.It was reported that authorities concerned in Dubai suspended Air India Express flights citing the case of two passengers who travelled to Dubai on different flights on two separate occasions despite testing positive for Covid-19.Air India Express had confirmed that it received a suspension notice from DCAA dated September 17.
This was done on account of "erroneous acceptance of one Covid positive passenger" by the airline's ground handling agents at Delhi and Jaipur, the same statement had added.The UAE government had specified earlier this year that any passenger travelling to emirates will have to carry a Covid-negative certificate dated 96 hours prior to the journey.In fact, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority had also written to Air India Express notifying the body that it will have o incur the cost of medical services or quarantine of any such passengers who test positive for the virus upon arrival in the UAE.In August of this year, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said India is in talks with 13 countries for Air Bubbles.
These include Australia, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Bahrain, Kenya, and Israel among others.A Covid-19 testing kiosk was recently set up at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.Delhi's IGI airport is now the first in the country to have an on-site testing lab for Covid-19.
This lab will cater to all incoming international passengers.