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The United Arab Emirates will on Thursday, August 5, lift the ban on transit flights from Nigeria, India, Pakistan and others, the country’s National Emergency and Crisis Management Authority (NCEMA), said on Tuesday.
The Gulf Arab state, a major international travel hub, had banned passengers from many South Asian and African countries including Nigeria, travelling through its airports this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, Reuters reports.
In a post on its Twitter handle, NCEMA said that passengers travelling from countries where flights had been banned would be able to transit through its airports from August 5, as long as they present a negative PCR coronavirus test taken 72 hours prior to departure.
Final destination approval would also have to be provided, the authority said, adding that UAE departure airports would arrange separate lounges for transiting passengers.
According to NCEMA, the ban on entry to the UAE for passengers from these countries would also be lifted for those with valid residencies and who are certified by Emirati authorities as fully vaccinated.
However, they would need to apply for online entry permits prior to travelling and would need to present a negative PCR test taken 48 hours prior to departure.
Those working in the medical, educational or government sectors in the Gulf Arab state as well as those studying or completing medical treatment in the UAE would be exempt from the vaccination requirement as would humanitarian cases.