UAE travel: Pakistan-Abu Dhabi flights from August 22, says Etihad

UAE - Etihad Airways will soon be flying passengers from Pakistan, Sri Lanka with Abu Dhabi as their final destination. The airline is currently flying passengers from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh only if they are transiting in the UAE Capital.

A search for flights from Pakistan cities (Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad), generates the following advisory on Etihad's website:

'From 22 August, you can to fly to Abu Dhabi as your final destination under certain conditions

A fully vaccinated resident of the UAE – you must have proof of having received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine within the UAE no less than 14 days before travel

- Medical personnel, education sector workers or students studying in the UAE

- Travelling for medical reasons

- A federal government agency worker'

The airline also updated its travel advisory for Colombo, Sri Lanka, by resuming direct flights to Abu Dhabi from August 21:

'From 21 August, you can to fly to Abu Dhabi as your final destination under certain conditions'

From August 10, the airline resumed flights from three Pakistani cities, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka for transit passengers only.

Exemptions are for diplomats, UAE nationals and golden visa holders.

On arrival in Abu Dhabi, all travellers will be required to quarantine for 10 days. They would need to wear a medically approved tracking wristband during the quarantine period.

“This will be provided by the authorities at Abu Dhabi airport after clearing immigration. All guests must also take a PCR test on days four and eight,” the airline said on its website.

An approval from the Federal Authority of Identity and Citizenship (ICA) is mandatory to travel.

Travellers must also have a negative result of a PCR test taken a maximum of 48 hours before the first flight departure time. “The test must be taken at an approved lab in the origin city and contain a QR code for verification.”

They must also take a rapid Covid-19 test no more than six hours before boarding the flight.

Authorities in Abu Dhabi announced a slew of Covid-19 safety measures last week - among them defining the process for visitors to register their vaccination certificates issued abroad.

>> Registration of vaccine certificates issued abroad

- The process enables visitors to have a green status on AlHosn app. Only those with this status will be allowed to enter some public places from August 20.

- Before departure, visitors need to register in the Register Arrivals section of the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) app.

- Complete the form and upload an international vaccination certificate.

- Visitors will then receive an SMS, including a link to download AlHosn app.

- On arrival into Abu Dhabi, visitors will receive a Unified Identification Number (UID) either at the airport or via ICA app or website.

- Visitors will need to download and register on the AlHosn app, using the UID and phone number used for ICA registration or when taking a PCR test in the UAE.

- Visitors will receive a one-time password (OTP) to complete the AlHosn app registration process.