Sky Aviation (2025)

21/06/2021

Alliance Airlines: A Growing Player In Australia

Brisbane-based Alliance Airlines is emerging as one of Australia’s most successful airlines. The airline is one of the very few airlines globally that made money in 2020. Alliance Airlines successfully dodged the travel downturn bullet and continued to grow with a focus on charter and fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) work and minimal exposure to scheduled passenger flights.

Alliance Airlines continue to grow and outperform many of its larger peer airlines. Photo: Alliance Airlines

A fast deal with Qantas helps underpin Alliance’s strong performance

These days, Alliance Airlines is best known for buying 30 former American Airlines and Copa Airlines Embraer E190s last year. Most are yet to arrive, but some of those that have landed were promptly wet-leased to Qantas in a three-year deal. Qantas now has options to take 18 of the 30 Embraers.

It is a slick move that will see Alliance Airlines bank checks from Qantas for some time. Alliance Airlines operates 52 aircraft, mostly jet and turboprop Fokkers. In the six months to December 31, the airline generated a profit before tax of US$20 million on revenues of US$116.2 million.

It is a small profit, but a profit nonetheless. Managing Director Scott McMillan attributed this to the underlying diversity and robustness of the airline’s business model.

Alliance Airlines will likely farm out the majority of its Embraer E190s to Qantas. Photo: Alliance Airlines

Contract flying underpins Alliance Airlines

Alliance Airlines has five important revenue streams. They are contract flights, wet-leasing, regular passenger transport flights, ad-hoc charters, and allied aviation services.

Contract flying refers to long term contract flying for corporate customers. Contract flying revenue grew last year to US$79.4 million and involved 13,106 flying hours. It is a core piece of business for Alliance Airlines. Much of the work is flying miners and other resource workers in and out of remote sites. Planeloads of miners will fly in for, say, two weeks of work before flying out for a week off. Multi-billion dollar mines require lots of workers, and the planes frequently come and go.

Last month, Alliance Airlines announced it would keep flying BHP Western Australia Iron Ore workers into the Pilbara for another two years. Alliance Airlines has been flying for BHP since 2009.

Alliance’s Australian network. Photo: Alliance Airlines

Alliance Airlines will fly services for Australia’s two major airlines

In addition to flying for Qantas, Alliance Airlines also has a history of flying for Virgin Australia. As Virgin gets back on its feet again after last year’s near-death experience, they want to use Alliance’s smaller planes to fly into airports where there’s not enough demand for a 737-800.

Alliance Airlines wet-leased aircraft to Virgin Australia up until last year. That relationship is to continue, notwithstanding Alliance’s recent deal with Qantas and that airline’s 20% stake in Alliance Airlines. The Alliance Airlines/Virgin Australia deal demonstrates Alliance’s independence from Qantas, despite that ownership stake.

Alliance aircraft will soon be flying on behalf of Virgin Australia as well as Qantas. Photo: Alliance Airlines

Mixed results for Alliance’s regular passenger transport flights

Less well known than Alliance’s FIFO and wet leasing flying is its regularly scheduled flying. It’s a smaller part of the airline’s business, comprising 2,567 flying hours in 2020 and generating just US$12.5 million. It was one segment of Alliance’s business model hit by the global travel downturn.

As domestic flying recovers in Australia in 2021, Alliance continues to dip its toes in regular passenger transport flights. In addition to flying to some regional centers, Alliance offers some interesting regular passenger flights out of airports like the Sunshine Coast (MCY) and is now the sole operator on routes such as MCY-Canberra (CBR) and MCY-Cairns (CNS). Alliance Airlines is quietly confident about its regular passenger transport flying with Australians stuck at home and domestic travel picking up again.

Ad-hoc charters are also shaping up as a useful growth area for Alliance Airlines. Last year, ad-hoc charter revenue was worth US$22.2 million, up 176% from the previous year. Alliance expects charter demand to remain strong. The airline has even got into the scenic flights business, offering dinosaur-themed scenic flights into Western Queensland. They’ve sold well, with extra flights later added.

The numbers are small at Alliance Airlines compared to many other airlines. But unlike most other airlines, Alliance Airlines isn’t drowning in a sea of red ink. Flying miners to the Pilbara isn’t as glamourous as flying long-haul first-class passengers around the world. But in 2021, it’s the former business model that’s proving the better one. Alliance Airlines expects to better its 2020 performance this year.

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21/06/2021

The US Airline Recovery Continues With Strong Passenger Counts

The US airline industry recovery continues. US passenger numbers are consistently topping two million passengers in a day, and leisure bookings have recovered. However, that is not without its pains, as the industry faces some structural issues that are making travel a little more stressful than it was in 2019. Here’s where the industry stands.

As the industry ramp-up continues, there are plenty of growing pains. Photo: Getty Images

The airline recovery continues in earnest

Passenger numbers are recovering. On Thursday and Friday, June 17th and 18th, passenger numbers topped two million in a day. These were the third and fourth days since March 2020 where passenger numbers topped that milestone.

While a few days here and there with strong passenger numbers are not necessarily indicative of a full recovery, the industry has noticed another milestone. The last time fewer than 1.5 million passengers went through a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint was on May 25th. Since June 9th, no fewer than 1.6 million passengers have gone through a checkpoint.

More flights are going out full, which is great news for airlines, but that does not necessarily mean the industry was prepared to handle it. Photo: Getty Images

Solid non-peak day improvement

Since the start of the crisis, two of the most important days of the week to watch for in terms of passenger numbers are Tuesdays and Wednesdays. These two days are heavy business travel days, and both weekdays have seen significant improvements in travel.

Generally, Tuesday numbers are still weaker compared to other days in the week. On Tuesday, June 15th, 1,678,688 passengers went through a security checkpoint, which was the lowest point in the week. The second-lowest day was Wednesday, June 16th, with 1,792,370 travelers going through a security checkpoint.

Improvements have been strong on non-peak travel days as well. Photo: Getty Images

Nevertheless, both of those days are in stark contrast to the few hundred thousand passengers each day that were traveling as recently as March. While this is great news for the industry, the ramp-up on the backend of travel has been a completely different story.

The US was not prepared to handle the increase

Universally, the industry has struggled to handle the ramp-up in passenger operations. First and foremost, there are labor shortages across the US. Airlines are having difficulty hiring check-in agents, ramp staff, and more positions. In the terminal, there are still hundreds of concessions closed across the US for various reasons. Even in the areas that are open, there are shortages in labor there, as well as some supply chain issues.

Turning to the destinations where airlines are flying to, it is clear that the industry is trying to adapt and meet the demand. Rental car shortages are severe across the country. Customers are finding skyrocketing prices if a car is even available. Meanwhile, restaurants in popular tourist destinations are facing significant increases in traffic, leading to long wait times and busy times for staff.

Long lines are a frequent sight at airports. Photo: Getty Images

As is commonly said, hindsight is 20/20. This time last year, few had imagined the incredible ramp-up of air travel as has materialized. The lack of a clear path forward led to significant fleet retirements and voluntary early-outs that appear now to have been a bit short-sighted and hastily determined. As a result, airlines are now trying to manage flying fewer planes while catering to passengers wanting to travel to reopened destinations at home and abroad.

Then again, there was no guarantee of what the recovery would look like, and airlines turned to a survival mode in 2020. As the industry ramps up, the growing pains will persist, so have some patience and plan ahead for your summer vacation.

Have you traveled in the last week? What was your experience like? Let us know in the comments!

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21/06/2021

Inside One Of The Most Interesting Alaska Airlines Routes

Alaska Airlines has a slew of very interesting routes. However, one of the most interesting routes in the airline’s network will launch later this year. Flying nonstop between Palm Springs and Austin starting on November 19th, this route is gearing up to be one of the most interesting, if not the most interesting, routes in Alaska’s network. Here’s what Brett Catlin, vice president of network and alliances at Alaska Airlines, said to Simple Flying about the route in an exclusive interview.

Alaska will launch several new routes this year, and Palm Springs to Austin is gearing up to be one of the most interesting. Photo: Getty Images

Alaska’s Palm Springs to Austin route

First, it is important to recognize details about the route itself. Starting November 19th and running through April 18th, Alaska Airlines will connect Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) with Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) with five weekly flights using an Embraer E175.

The flight is scheduled to run on a leisure schedule. Departing AUS at 09:00 and arriving in PSP at 10:35, the airline’s schedule will allow leisure travelers the opportunity to have almost an entire day in the city. The return flight leaves PSP at 11:05 and arrives in Austin at 16:10, allowing travelers to get home in time for dinner and to prepare for going back to work or school the next day. All times are local.

It should come as no surprise that Alaska Airlines is using one of its most flexible aircraft on the route. Photo: Jay Singh | Simple Flying

In addition, the Embraer E175 operating the route will offer different experiences onboard. There are 12 first class seats outfitted in a comfortable 1-2 configuration. This is followed by 12 extra-legroom economy seats and 52 standard economy seats. Seating 76 passengers, this jet is perfect for trying new, thinner routes.

Testing two different strategies

According to Mr. Catlin, the route is all about testing two of Alaska’s most important strategies. As he stated in the interview on the two strategies:

“The first [strategy] is we have got ten spokes on the West Coast where we’re building from a position of strength. We’ve long been the largest carrier in Palm Springs. It’s a market that we have a lot of interest in where we’ve built up strong community support over the years. So we’ve been keen to grow Palm Springs. You saw us add markets like Boise and Reno last year. So, Austin was a natural extension of that. Strategy number two was better connecting our points of strength to big American hubs and focus cities. We have this great crucible of demand in Palm Springs, and then American brings a strong demand for Austin. With those two forces at play, we think this is a market that can be really successful. Also when you layer on some demographic trends: this movement of people to Austin, its emergence as a major tech hub, a lot of folks in San Francisco, they love to visit Palm Springs, so we think those transplants in Austin, are going to love to visit Palm Springs.”

The American and Alaska partnership is one of the strongest in the US. Photo: Getty Images

The first strength is a long-held, core Alaska Airlines strength. The airline’s exposure in California is incredible, and the airline only plans to keep growing. As the only airline based on the West Coast, its natural route network bias is toward connecting those points to new destinations and eliminating the need for connections, even in its own network where it already relies on strong origin and destination traffic.

The second strength is relatively new to Alaska Airlines. The alliance with American Airlines was announced in early 2020, and it has held even through the crisis. For Alaska Airlines, the partnership does not necessarily impede the airline’s ability to grow. Instead, it now has new points and destinations it can add because of that partnership.

If you look at Palm Springs to Austin, this route would probably not have been on anyone’s radar for a 2021 start. With American Airlines building out in Austin and Alaska being able to market those flights to Austin-area travelers who may be loyal to American or tend to book with American because of its growing nonstop portfolio out of Austin, this makes the market case for the route so much better.

California is one of Alaska’s most important markets. Photo: Getty Images

This route may be here to stay

As always, there is an inherent risk with adding a new route. Even some of the best network planners do not get it right 100% of the time, and demand trends can shift. For example, airlines have been adding a host of flights to Bozeman (BZN) in Montana, and the city only keeps growing new air services, though if loads stay stubbornly low in the 60-70% range, then airlines will need to go back, cut some services, and fix their offerings.

When asked about concerns relating to loads in Palm Springs compared to the situation in Bozeman, Mr. Catlin saw the two markets as structurally different, and he is not terribly concerned about the route needing to go away:

“I would say Palm Springs’ load factors are strong. It’s actually a different dynamic where it used to be very seasonal where huge demand in the winter would taper off in the summer. What we’ve seen is actually it’s become more of a year round market. So people that maybe would spend time in the winter, they bought a house there now, and they want to visit in the summer, even when temperatures are over 100 degrees. And so we’re actually thinking about in Palm Springs how do we build it into more of a year round destination, whereas our focus before was always in that winter peak.”

Palm Springs International Airport has been one of the pandemic-era winners with new air services. Photo: Getty Images

Palm Springs is also a different kind of destination, as he explained, putting it in contrast to Bozeman:

“Palm Springs is a market where it’s less about getting a rental car and going to see the sights. It’s more about being part of the community and the great festivals that exist and all the aspects within kind of Palm Springs proper, whereas Bozeman is all about getting to Yellowstone, the National Parks the outdoors. They’re they’re two very different markets in that regard.”

In general, destinations that are more about culture and are in warmer climates tend to have better year-round demand than nature-themed and outdoor-oriented markets. Think cities like Los Angeles and Las Vegas that offer easy access to outdoor destinations while also offering plenty of things to do indoors, such as shows or casinos. Palm Springs, though certainly not as large as those markets, fits into a similar bucket.

Of course, time will tell if this route works. The airline is using the perfect plane to make the route a success and, if it is as successful as it could be, the route could easily convert to year-round service or see an upgauge in the peak season to larger aircraft like the Boeing 737.

Will you be flying Alaska Airlines between Palm Springs and Austin? Let us know in the comments!

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21/06/2021

Kenya Airways To Resume London Flights On Saturday

Nairobi-based Kenya Airways has said that it will resume flights from Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) to London Heathrow (LHR) starting Saturday, June 26, 2021. All flights between Kenya and the United Kingdom ceased on April 9, 2021, after the UK government added Kenya to its “red list” of countries.

Kenya Airways will resume flight to London next Saturday. Photo: Getty Images

Based on the COVID-19 infection rate, counties are listed as either green (no restrictions), amber (some restrictions), or red (mandatory ten-day quarantine). People returning to the UK from red countries must quarantine in a government-approved hotel for a minimum of ten days at their own expense. The price for the hotel stay is £1,750 ($2,417), per adult and while there, they must take two COVID-19 PCR tests that prove negative.

The Kenyan government retaliated

Following the news that Kenya was being added to the UK red list, the Kenyan government retaliated by banning flights to the East African nation from the UK. By doing this, the Kenyan government effectively put another nail in Kenya Airways’ coffin on the back of a yearly $330 million loss.

In early June, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) extended the ban for a second time to August 24, 2021. Now fearing that its essential summer tourism season would be affected, the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday that flights between Kenya and the UK had the go-ahead to resume.

The high season for tourists visiting Kenya comes during the dry period between July and September. It is when the world-renowned migration of wildebeest and zebra through Maasai Mara Game Reserve takes place.

The main tourism season is between July and September. Photo: Getty Images

Kenya needs tourism

Kenyan business news website Business Daily quotes a letter from the Ministry to the British High Commission which says:

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kenya presents its compliments to the British High Commission and has the honor to convey the decision … to lift all flight restrictions between Kenya and the United Kingdon.”

“All passengers irrespective of nationality and residency status coming to Kenya from the United Kingdom, irrespective of their route of travel to Kenya, shall be required to self-isolate upon arrival and take a subsequent test for four days after arrival,” the letter added.

In response to the good news, the website allAfricka quotes Kenya Airways acting Chief Commercial and Customer Officer Julius Thairu of saying the following:

“The resumption of flights to London, United Kingdom (UK) is in line with our plans to grow and expand our routes as restrictions lift which will positively impact the flow of trade and tourism across the region by offering our customers convenient travel across the world. This route offers our customers convenient connections to key destinations. We remain fully committed to offering our customers an onboard travel experience that has their health and safety in mind.”

To coincide with the resumption of flights between Nairobi and London, both counties have issued health protocols that arriving passengers must adhere to.

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Kenya is still on the red list

United Kingdom Rules:

Passengers traveling to the UK from Kenya must be either UK national, Irish nationals or have a right of residence in the UK. They will also need to provide a negative COVID-19 certificate three days before travel, book a government-approved quarantine hotel within 14-days before arrival and take two COVID-19 tests if they have been in a red list country or territory ten days before arriving in the UK.

Kenya Rules:

Passengers arriving in Kenya from the United Kingdom must have a negative COVID-19 PCR test certificate conducted within 96 hours before arrival. This rule does not apply to children under five years old. Once in Kenya, they must self-isolate for seven days and take a second COVID-19 PCR test four days after arrival.

Kenya Airways is still on the UK’s red list. Photo: Getty Images.

While it is nice to see Kenya Airways Nairobi to London flights return, it is hard to imagine that they will be busy since Kenya remains on the UK’s red list.

What do you think about Kenya Airways returning to London, and do you think they can be profitable even if they mostly carry cargo? Please tell us your thoughts in the comments.

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21/06/2021

Air Transat To Expand In Florida This Winter

In a statement issued June 16, 2021, Canada’s Air Transat announced its winter 2021-2022 program, including two new destinations in Florida. Starting from November 1, Air Transat will offer flights to nearly 50 destinations, including direct flights from Montreal to Fort Myers and Miami in Florida.

Air Transat’s main hub is Montreal Airport. Photo: Vincent Pace | Simple Flying

In addition to the two new Florida destinations, the Montreal-headquartered airline will return to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando. With winter temperatures in the mid-seventies, Florida destinations appeal to Canadians looking to escape the frigid sub-zero temperatures at home.

Florida is a popular winter destination

When speaking about how it was adding and consolidating its destinations in the United States, Air Transat President and CEO Annick Guérard said:

“We know that our clients are eager to travel, whether it’s to visit loved ones or for a change of scenery, and we are sure to meet this strong, pent-up demand with the rich variety of destinations we are offering this winter. Plus, by adding Miami and Fort Myers to our program, we are consolidating our position in the United States, a popular sun destination for Canadian travelers.”

After a year of closed borders, Canadians will be happy to visit Florida next winter. Image: GCmaps

Miami is a vibrant cosmopolitan city that attracts visitors from around the world. At the same time, Fort Myers will appeal to Canadian’s looking for a relaxing vacation on the Gulf coasts calm sandy beaches.

Air Transat will fly from eight Canadian cities

Air Transat said that to help quench Canadians wanderlust, it would be offering direct flights from eight Canadian cities: Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, London, Halifax, and Moncton.

Montreal:

From Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL), Air Transat will offer direct flights to the following counties: Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Martinique, Panama, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, El Salvador, and the United States.

Toronto:

From Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), passengers will be able to fly non-stop to Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, St. Maarten, and the United States.

Québec City:

From Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB), Air Transat will offer seven sunny destination flights to Cuba, the United States, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. To help Canadian’s fly domestically across the country and to allow for international connections, Air Transat says it will also operate domestic flights between Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, and Vancouver.

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Air Transat flights to Europe

Regarding flights between Canada and Europe, Air Transat says it will gradually add direct flights from Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) to France, Portugal, Spain, and Italy. There will also be European flights from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) to the United Kingdom, Portugal, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Italy, and from Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB) to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in France.

In its statement, Air Transat said that should the situation change because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Air Transat customers would be eligible for a refund.

Air Transat has a fleet of 31 aircraft. Photo: Getty Images

Specializing in holiday travel and offering vacation packages, Air Transat is Canada’s number one leisure airline. According to the aviation data and statistics website, ch-aviation, Air Transat has a fleet of 31 aircraft made up of the following planes:

7 x Airbus A321-200s

9 x Airbus A321-200NX(LR)s

14 x Airbus A330-200s

1 x Airbus A330-300

Have you ever flown with Air Transat? If so, please tell us what you think of them in the comments.

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20/06/2021

Trip Report: TAP Air Portugal A330-900neo Business Class

I flew with TAP Air Portugal A330-900neo from San Francisco to Lisbon in early June. It was my first time flying with TAP as their advanced purchase fare are one of the lowest in Trans-Atlantic. You can often found round-trip fare between US and Europe for less than $2,000. The flight I was on turned […]

The post Trip Report: TAP Air Portugal A330-900neo Business Class appeared first on SamChui.com.

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20/06/2021

Aeroflot’s Fleet In 2021

Russian flag carrier Aeroflot is currently in the midst of an ambitious plan to become a leading global carrier. To this end, the airline has been making several changes to its fleet, including switching to only Boeing and Airbus aircraft. Here’s a look at Aeroflot’s fleet in 2021.

Aeroflot’s new flagship aircraft is the Airbus A350-900, the first of which first arrived last February. Photo: Getty Images

All fleet data used in this article is from Planespotters.net.

Narrowbody

Founded in 1923, Aeroflot has had a long history in aviation and is quickly approaching its 100th anniversary. The carrier serves scores of domestic destinations across Russia and over 50 countries internationally. For most of these missions, Aeroflot deploys its diverse narrowbody fleet.

Aeroflot currently operates 177 narrowbodies, consisting of the Airbus A320 family, the Boeing 737, and Sukhoi Superjet 100. Here’s the breakdown of its fleet:

59 Airbus A320-200s

Four A320neos

33 A321-200s

Two A321neos

38 Boeing 737-800s

28 Sukhoi SJ100s (all moving to subsidiary Rossiya by the end of 2021)

The A320 family is the anchor of Aeroflot’s fleet, with new A320neos and A321neos joining the fleet too. Photo: Getty Images

The A320neo and A321neos are the youngest planes in the fleet having being delivered in May and June 2021. Similarly, the A320ceos are currently the oldest at six years on average (5.6 years for the A321ceos). The 737-800s are slightly younger at 5.1 years on average.

Aeroflot’s Superjets are currently on their way over to subsidiary Rossiya, which means they will be gone by the end of this year. However, these regional jets only average 5.6 years and serve several important routes.

Widebodies

To serve dozens of destinations across the globe, Aeroflot operates a notable widebody fleet. The airline flies 37 twin-aisle aircraft, consisting of the Boeing 777, Airbus A330, and flagship A350s. The fleet is growing too as Aeroflot continues to take delivery of new A350s in the coming months and years.

Here’s a breakdown of the carrier’s widebody fleet:

One A330-200

12 A330-300s

Four A350-900s

20 Boeing 777-300ERs

The 777-300ER remains Aeroflot’s widebody anchor, operating key routes to the US and Asia. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

When it comes to fleet age, Aeroflot’s widebodies vary widely. The sole A330-200 is the oldest aircraft in the airline’s fleet at 11.9 years old. The A330-300s are relatively old too, with the dozen averaging an age of 9.3 years. However, these older planes are offset by a slew of new aircraft.

Aeroflot’s 777-300ERs only average an age of six years, with the latest jet joining the fleet in February 2021. The carrier’s first A350 was only delivered in February 2020, with three more joining in May and June of this year. This means the entire fleet is just under one year old.

Young

Overall, Aeroflot operates a fleet of 201 aircraft and counting. These planes average an age of 5.8 years, making the carrier one of the youngest major airlines globally. As the carrier seeks to become a 5-Star Airline, its modern fleet will play a key role in attracting passengers and strengthening its status globally. For now, keep an eye out for Aeroflot’s ambitious plans and growing fleet.

What do you think about Aeroflot’s fleet? Have you flown with them before? Let us know in the comments!

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20/06/2021

Dubai Reopening To Indian Travelers: A Guide

After two full months, the UAE is reopening to Indian residents looking to return to the country. However, considering the high health risk, the government has added several requirements before and after arriving in the UAE. This includes being fully vaccinated with select vaccines, a three-step testing program, and more. Here’s a guide to the full requirements for travel.

The two-month-long ban has affected thousands of Indians hoping to return to the UAE. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Pre-flight

Before jumping to book tickets to Dubai, it’s important to note who is eligible to travel currently. Starting April 23rd, those with valid residence visas will be allowed to enter the UAE from India. This means travelers or those on tourist visas still remain banned from traveling.

If you hold a residence visa, the UAE has set strict health requirements due to high cases and new variants in India. All travelers must have taken both doses of a UAE-approved COVID-19 vaccine (Sinopharm, Pfizer, Oxford-AstraZeneca, and Sputnik V). For India, this means only travelers who have taken two doses of Covishield (Oxford-AstraZeneca) or Sputnik V can fly right now.

India recently extended the gap between Covishield shots to 12 weeks as shortages emerged, possibly preventing many from traveling. Photo: Airbus

Considering 90% of vaccines given in India are Covishield/AstraZeneca, most residents should be able to travel. However, India’s long gap of 12 weeks means that most under 45 have not had their second dose, barring them from entering the UAE. However, if you have managed to get both doses and are fully vaccinated, you’re one of the lucky few eligible to fly.

Testing

Assuming you’ve met the residency and vaccine requirements, testing is next on the list. All travelers from India (minus UAE citizens) must take an RT-PCR test 48 hours before departure. Importantly, the test reports must come with a QR code that links back to the results to prevent fraud.

Once you’ve tested negative, passengers must take a rapid COVID-19 test four hours before departure. This means passengers will have to arrive at the airport at least five hours in advance to take the rapid test and complete the usual formalities.

The combination of pre-flight RT-PCR and rapid testing should help avoid many positive passengers onboard. Photo: Aero Icarus via Wikimedia Commons

Upon arriving in Dubai, passengers will have to take another RT-PCR test at the airport. Results from this test could take 24 hours to arrive, until which passengers must undergo an institutional quarantine, usually at nearby hotels. Diplomats and UAE citizens are exempt from the institutional quarantine.

Strict

While Dubai’s entry restrictions are undoubtedly strict, they will be a relief to thousands of Indians stranded due to the April travel ban. However, many will struggle to meet the vaccine requirement due to the spacing between doses. Moreover, passenger loads will remain low as tourists remain barred from entering Dubai.

Along with India, UAE also loosened restrictions for travelers from Nigeria and South Africa. It’s likely that tourists from India will be allowed to return in the coming weeks, especially since cases continue to fall. For now, keep an eye out for further updates on traveling to Dubai this summer.

What do you think about the UAE’s new entry requirements? Let us know in the comments!

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