The United Arab Emirates' General Civil Aviation Authority (GCCA) announced yesterday that it would temporarily suspend flights from Pakistan in light of its worsening COVID-19 situation. This suspension, effective Monday, will stand until a laboratory is set up for COVID-19 tests.
A precautionary measure
The COVID-19 situation in Pakistan
According to Worldometer, Pakistan recently surpassed the 200,000-case milestone and has accumulated over 4,100 deaths at the time of writing. In the last two weeks, it appears that Pakistan has seen a rise in active cases, although this seems to have flattened quite recently, with daily new cases declining as well.Stay informed: Sign up for our daily aviation news digest.
The United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, appears to have 'flattened the curve', with active cases and daily new cases in decline. In fact, it is expected that Dubai will reopen its borders to international visitors beginning on July 7th. However, this is dependent upon following strict entry requirements. This includes:- Downloading the COVID-19 DXB app which allows for communication with health authorities if travelers experience COVID-19 symptoms,
- Filling out a 'Health Declaration Form' before embarking,
- Having valid health insurance,
- And conducting a PCR test with a maximum validity of four days (96 hours) ahead of the date of departure.
Flights not (yet) canceled
Interestingly, FlightRadar24 shows that many flights to the UAE, from cities such as Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad, have yet to be canceled. Using Lahore as an example, we can see that flights by flyDubai, Emirates, AirBlue, and Air Arabia are still listed as 'scheduled' for Monday and Tuesday. A few Air Arabia flights are listed as canceled, but the airline also still has a few scheduled to go ahead.
Strangely, the only airline that appears to have canceled nearly all of its flights to and from Pakistan is Doha-based Qatar Airways, which obviously does not have any operations to the UAE.
This is possibly because many airlines are going ahead with the flights for the primary purpose of cargo operations. However, this has not been confirmed.
Will you be affected by this new and sudden UAE flight suspension? Let us know by leaving a comment.