Fasten your seat belts! Mangaluru Airport to start flight services to Gulf nations from August 18

Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) resumes flight services to Gulf nations from on Wednesday, August 18 after receiving clearance from the UAE Civil Aviation Ministry for RT-PCR tests.

Image used for representational purpose

New Delhi: Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) is ready to resume flight services to Gulf nations after receiving clearance from the UAE Civil Aviation Ministry for the RT-PCR test facility arranged at the airport. As per a press release issued by MIA, after nearly four months the first Air India Express flight will fly from Mangaluru on Wednesday, August 18. The UAE had imposed restrictions on travellers from India.

To safeguard the well-being of passengers, the MIA has undertaken various safety measures and has implemented numerous SOPs, including COVID-19 preventive measures laid down by the government. The RT-PCR test facility at MIA was set up with active support from the district health department authorities and the deputy commissioner's office.

As per UAE's latest health guidelines, all passengers must get a negative RT-PCR report six hours prior to boarding the aircraft.

Meanwhile, the government on July 30 had extended the ban on international passenger flights until midnight of August 31, 2021, as confirmed by the top aviation regulator the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

In its latest circular, the DGCA said, "The flight ban shall remain in place till 2359 hrs Indian Standard Time (IST) of August 31, 2021. However, it shall not apply to cargo flights and those approved by the regulatory body."

All scheduled international flights to and from India were banned from March 23, 2020 in the wake of COVID-19 crisis. The restrictions on international commercial flights were supposed to end on July 31, 2021.