More than 300 Islamabad and 70 Karachi passengers have been banned from boarding flights to Dubai

• 300 passengers from Islamabad refused to travel to Dubai based on the new requirements of the six-hour “rapid PCR test” suddenly implemented by the UAE.
• Seventy passengers from Karachi told them that they needed a four-hour test.
• CAA requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deal with the UAE’s statement that the airport does not have a “rapid PCR test” service.

Islamabad/Karachi: More than 300 passengers from Islamabad and 70 passengers from Karachi were banned from boarding flights to Dubai due to the fact that PCR testing was not performed 6 hours and 4 hours ago, respectively.

According to airport authorities, the UAE has imposed conditions for “rapid PCR testing” without prior notice.

Islamabad passengers

In Islamabad, a “rapid PCR test” was suddenly requested 6 hours ago, which prompted passengers of flight EA 613 to protest after they did not obtain a boarding pass.

Only those passengers who were stabbed from Dubai earlier can get boarding passes.

Karachi passengers

At the same time, in Karachi, 70 passengers were intercepted at Jinnah International Airport because they boarded a flight to Dubai and were told that they needed a PCR test no more than four hours ago.

The Chief Operating Officer of Jinnah Airport stated that the Civil Aviation Administration did not impose any restrictions, but the UAE authorities suddenly imposed these conditions.

A source familiar with the development told Geographic News In accordance with the requirements of the UAE authorities, the passengers underwent a PCR test.

The UAE National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) issued a notice this week that the travel of certain categories of passengers from Pakistan will resume on August 5th. These passengers will be obligated to travel at (48) from the departure date. The number of hours, provided that the test comes from an accredited laboratory with a QR code.

The notice did not mention “rapid PCR testing.”

200 overseas Pakistanis arrive in Sharjah via Karachi

At the same time, 200 overseas Pakistanis on another flight from Karachi landed in Sharjah. They were tested in a facility near the airport before departure. After a quick test, they were allowed to board the plane.

After landing, the passengers were tested again by PCR. They were asked to isolate at home until the results came out.

According to the Sharjah Airport authorities, a separate corridor has been established for passengers from South Asian countries and a dedicated counter has been set up.

The authorities stated that strict measures have been taken in view of the Delta coronavirus variant.

CAA writes to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Today’s incident prompted the CAA Deputy Director of Air Transport to write to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, urging him to raise the matter to the UAE authorities and requesting them to review their decision.

The letter stated that Pakistan’s airports only have rapid antigen testing facilities and cannot provide passengers with the “rapid PCR testing” facilities required by the UAE.

The CAA Deputy Commissioner requested that the transit time of such flights be increased to 8 hours, and the UAE accepts a PCR test 48 hours before the trip.

According to the letter, CAA can test at the airport six hours before the trip, but this will be a rapid antigen test.

It recommends accepting this, and then UAE authorities can perform PCR testing after passengers arrive in the UAE.

CAAC informs passengers of new regulations

CAA separately issued press releases on Twitter.

It pointed out that due to the revised guidelines of the UAE, a “large number” of Pakistani passengers were denied access to Dubai from Pakistan.

The statement said: “We have also noted that the responsibility for this policy revision and passengers’ disembarkation has been handed over to the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority.”

“This is to inform the general public that the UAE authorities have implemented new strict measures for passengers travelling to Dubai from a series of countries, including Pakistan, and because of the aforementioned policies, airline operators have to offload passengers who plan to travel from Pakistan. To Dubai,” it explained.

According to CAA, the UAE authorities have stipulated that for passengers transiting from Pakistan in Dubai, a negative PCR test shall be carried out within 48 hours before starting to travel to Dubai, and a negative “rapid PCR test” shall be carried out within 4 hours (or as a NCEMA determined) is mandatory.

“This regulation is enforced by the UAE authorities, without providing any advance information to the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority or any other stakeholders. The reason for the above dilemma is that the relevant health authorities currently do not have available rapid PCR testing facilities at the airport.

CAA stated: “As a result, airline operators cannot allow passengers to board flights to Dubai.”

The aviation authority stated that despite the sudden changes to the rules, “CAA has been assisting airlines in implementing any special requirements made by the UAE authorities”.

“CAA is not only preparing to provide dedicated space for Dubai’s outbound passengers at our airport, but also immediately contacting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the matter with the UAE authorities through diplomatic channels to reach a solution to alleviate the difficulties faced by our traveling public,” it said .