More than 300 Islamabad, 70 Karachi passengers barred from boarding Dubai-bound flights

• 300 passengers from Islamabad denied travel to Dubai based on new requirement of six-hour old "rapid PCR test" imposed suddenly by UAE.
• 70 passengers from Karachi told they need a four-hour old test.
• CAA requests Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take up matter with UAE saying airports do not have "rapid PCR testing" services.

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: More than 300 passengers from Islamabad and 70 passengers from Karachi were barred from boarding a flight to Dubai for not possessing a PCR test taken no more than six hours, and four hours ago, respectively.

According to airport authorities, the condition for what a "rapid PCR test" has been imposed by UAE without prior notification.

Islamabad passengers

In Islamabad, the sudden demand for a "rapid PCR test" conducted no more than six hours ago prompted passengers of flight EA 613 to protest, after they were not issued boarding passes.

Only those passengers who had earlier gotten a jab from Dubai were issued boarding passes. 

Karachi passengers

In Karachi, meanwhile, 70 passengers were stopped at Jinnah International Airport from boarding a Dubai-bound flight, and were informed they need to produce a PCR test taken no more than four hours ago.

The chief operating officer at Jinnah airport said that there had been no restrictions imposed by Civil Aviation Authority and it was the UAE authorities that had imposed the conditions all of a sudden.

Sources familiar with the development told Geo News the passengers were in possession of a PCR test as mandated by UAE authorities. 

A look at this week's notice by UAE's National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) shows that travel for certain categories of passengers from Pakistan was to resume on August 5, and these passengers will be obligated to submit a prior PCR test within (48) hours from the date of departure, provided that the tests are from accredited laboratories and carry a QR Code.

The notice contained no mention of a "rapid PCR test".

200 overseas Pakistanis reach Sharjah via Karachi

Meanwhile, 200 overseas Pakistanis on board another flight from Karachi landed in Sharjah. They were tested at a facility close to the airport, prior to their departure. It was only after the rapid test that they were allowed to board the flight.

Upon landing, the passengers once more underwent PCR testing. They are required to remain quarantined at home until the results.

According to the airport authorities in Sharjah, a separate corridor for passengers from South Asian countries has been established, along with a dedicated counter.

The authorities said that the stringent measures were taken in view of the Delta coronavirus variant.

CAA writes to Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Today's events prompted the CAA's deputy director of air transport to write to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, urging it to raise the matter with UAE authorities, and request them to review their decision.

The letter stated that Pakistani airports only have the rapid antigen testing facility and will not be able to provide passengers the "rapid PCR test" facility required by UAE.

The CAA deputy director requested that the transit time for such flights be increased to eight hours and that a PCR test taken 48 hours prior to travel be accepted by UAE.

According to the letter, CAA can do a test at the airport six hours prior to travel, but that would be the rapid antigen test.

It proposed that this be accepted and then UAE authorities can conduct PCR testing once the passenger arrives in the Emirates.

CAA informs passengers of new rules

The CAA separately issued a press release on Twitter.

It noted that as a result of the revised guidelines by UAE, a "significant number" of Pakistani passengers were denied travel from Pakistan to Dubai. 

"It has also come to our attention that the onus of such revision in policies and the situation with passenger offloading has been placed on Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority," the statement said.

"This is to inform the general public at large that the UAE Authorities have implemented new stringent measures for passengers travelling to Dubai from a list of States including Pakistan and as a result of the said policies, airline operators have had to offload passengers scheduled to travel from Pakistan to Dubai," it explained.

According to CAA, the UAE Authorities have mandated that for Dubai terminating passengers from Pakistan, a negative PCR test result conducted within the 48 hours prior to commencement of travel to Dubai, along with negative "rapid PCR testing" conducted within 4 hours (or as determined by UAE NCEMA) prior to departure of flight for Dubai is mandatory.

"This stipulation has been mandated by UAE Authorities without any advance information to Pakistan CAA or any other stakeholder and the said predicament has been caused owing to the reason that at the present, the relevant health authorities do not have rapid PCR testing facility available at the airports. 

"As a consequence, airline operators have been unable to board passengers on flights to Dubai," the CAA said.

The aviation authority said that despite the sudden revised rules, "CAA has been facilitating airline operators in implementation of any special requirements posed by the UAE authorities". 

"Not only has CAA been forthcoming in provision of dedicated space at our airports for testing of outbound passengers for Dubai but has also immediately engaged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take up the matter with the UAE Authorities through diplomatic channels for arriving at a solution to ease the difficulties being faced by our travelling public," it said.