by kahaf | Jan 19, 2022 | Uncategorized
United States of America, USA Travel Plans Stuck For Thousands of Guests- Amid 5G Scare,
Several international airlines, including Emirates Airways & Air India, have announced that they will cancel flights to the Several USA Airports..
Travel plans for thousands of Guest, including those travelling to India, were disrupted after airlines cancelled or cut short the duration of many flights to and from the United States over, As aviation industry fears that the 5G technology could interfere with crucial navigation instruments.
Several international airlines, including Emirates, Air India and others, have announced that they will cancel flights to the USA Starting from Wednesday.
USA aviation regulator Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on January 14 said that “5G interference with the aircraft’s radio altimeter could prevent engine and braking systems from transitioning to landing mode, which could prevent an aircraft from stopping on the runway”.
Altimeter measures the height of an aircraft above the ground. The band on which altimeter works is close to that on which the 5G Network system works. American telecom companies paid the US government USD 81 billion in 2021 for the right to use those frequencies, known as the C-Band.
The C-band service, which offers faster speeds and broader coverage, was due to be turned on from Wednesday. The frequency issue appeared to impact the popular Boeing 777, a long-range and wide-body aircraft.
Air India Airlines tweeted on Tuesday that due to deployment of 5G Network communications in the US, “our operations to the USA from India stand curtailed/revised with change in aircraft type from January 19, 2022.” Air India stated on Twitter that it won’t be operate eight India-US flights on Wednesday “due to deployment of the 5G communications in the US”.
Departure & Arrival cities of These eight Air India flights were: Delhi-New York, New York-Delhi, Delhi-Chicago, Chicago-Delhi, Delhi- San Francisco, San Francisco-Delhi, Delhi-Newark and Newark-Delhi.
Three carriers — American Airlines, Delta Airlines and Air India — currently operate direct flights between India and the US.
Apart from Air India, several other airlines announced they were cancelling flights into the US over the issue of deployment of the 5G service.
Emirates said that due to “operational concerns” associated with the planned deployment of 5G mobile network services in the US at certain airports, it will be suspending flights from January 19 until further notice to Boston, Chicago, Dallas Fort Worth, Houston, Miami, Newark, Orlando, San Francisco and Seattle.
Delta said that telecom companies agreed Tuesday to limit the scope of Wednesday’s planned 5G deployment and will delay implementation around certain U.S. airports. “While this is a positive development toward preventing widespread disruptions to flight operations, some flight restrictions may remain,” Delta said it has joined other airlines in seeking a delay by the US government of the deployment of the new 5G coverage into the C-band spectrum until more protections and assurances against potential interference with aircraft radio altimeters exist.
The airline said the impact on air travel could be immediate and significant, directly impacting passenger travel and cargo shipping.
“The nation’s commerce will grind to a halt,” the CEOs of major carriers, including Delta CEO Ed Bastian, wrote in a letter coordinated by Airlines for America to government officials, including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the chair of the Federal Communications Commission.
The sudden flight cancellations disrupted travel plans for thousands of passengers who were left in the lurch with little information forthcoming on when the flights will resume.
Jayant Raj had his suitcases packed and was ready to board the Air India flight from New York’s JFK International Airport to New Delhi on Wednesday which now stands cancelled. He said he first got to know about the flight cancellation Tuesday afternoon through a tweet by Air India
“I was travelling to India after four years and was counting days to meet my parents and family. First, the COVID pandemic curtailed travel for almost two years and now there is this new issue,” he said. “Travelling has now become very nerve-racking and taxing.” With uncertainty over when the flight from JFK to Delhi will resume, Raj decided to take the Air India flight from Washington, which is still operational and departs Wednesday morning.
“I will travel to Washington from New York by train and try and see if I can get a ticket on the flight. This last-minute cancellation and disruption is stressful but I have to take a chance. If I am able to get a seat on the flight, this hassle of additional 5-hour overnight travel to Washington will be worth it,” he said.
Priyanka Seth, another passenger whose flight got cancelled due to the 5G issue, said she was travelling to Mumbai and was eager to meet her parents after nearly five years.
“The pandemic as it is has made travel very stressful. Additional problems caused by such last-minute cancellations are leaving so many people in the lurch,” Seth said.
Seth, who has two young children, was travelling alone and said she can only imagine the difficulty it must be for parents travelling with young kids or for the elderly travelling alone amid such travel disruptions and uncertainty.
New York-based social activist Prem Bhandari said while the local staff of Air India at JFK and Newark airports have been very helpful and have done a “commendable job during this pandemic”, but the airline management could have managed the current situation caused by the 5G issue in a more effective way.
“Those travelling on the 19th of January 2022 are now stranded. Others travelling in the coming days and weeks are worried by the uncertainty caused by the suspension of the flights to USA,”
US mobile networks AT&T and Verizon have agreed to postpone the rollout of their new 5G service at some airports, according to US media reports.
by kahaf | Jan 14, 2022 | Uncategorized
United Arab Emirates Latest Travel Guidelines and Requirements Including Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Latest Travel updates 12.01.2022 as per IATA Travel Centre.
1. Guests are not allowed to enter.- Does not apply to residents and nationals of United Arab Emirates
– domestic workers who are traveling with the sponsor or with the first degree family members of the sponsor;
– passengers with an entry permit issued by United Arab Emirates;
– passengers traveling as tourists to Abu Dhabi (AUH), Dubai (DXB), Ras-al-Khaima (RKT) or Sharjah (SHJ) with a return/onward ticket;
– passengers traveling to Abu Dhabi (AUH) with a pre-arranged visa issued by Abu Dhabi;
– nationals and residents of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia;
– nationals of Korea (Rep.) traveling under the Fast Track program and traveling to Dubai (DXB). They must have a pre-arranged visa or a pre-approval to enter;
– nationals of Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China (Peoples Rep.), Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland (Rep.), Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea (Rep.), Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Fed., San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Isl., Spain, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sweden, Switzerland, USA, Ukraine, Uruguay and Vatican City (Holy See), passengers with a British passport with nationality “British Citizen” and passengers with a Hong Kong (SAR China) passport, traveling to Abu Dhabi (AUH);
– nationals of India with a visa issued by the USA or with a residence permit issued by USA, United Kingdom or an EU Member State traveling to Abu Dhabi (AUH);
– passengers traveling to Abu Dhabi (AUH) with a resident visa;
– passengers traveling to Abu Dhabi (AUH) with a pre-arranged visa issued by any emirate;
– nationals of Indonesia traveling under the Safe Travel Corridor program. They must have an entry permit and a return ticket.
2. Passengers who in the past 14 days have been in or transited through Botswana, Congo, Congo (Dem. Rep.), Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania or Zimbabwe are not allowed to enter and transit.
– This does not apply to:
– nationals of United Arab Emirates;
– passengers with a golden visa issued by United Arab Emirates.
3. Passengers arriving at Dubai (DXB):
– are subject to medical screening, and
– must download and register the COVID-19 DXB Smart App before departure or upon arrival.
4. Passengers traveling as tourists arriving at Dubai (DXB) or Sharjah (SHJ) must have health insurance.
5. Residents of United Arab Emirates with a residence visa returning to Dubai (DXB) or Al Maktoum (DWC) and arriving from Bangladesh, Congo (Dem. Rep.), India, Liberia, Namibia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, South Africa or Sri Lanka must have a GDRFA approval obtained before departure at https://smart.gdrfad.gov.ae/Smart_OTCServicesPortal/ReturnPermitService.aspx .
6. Passengers entering United Arab Emirates arriving from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Botswana, Congo, Congo (Dem. Rep.), Eswatini, India, Lesotho, Liberia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam, Zambia or Zimbabwe must have:
– a printed negative COVID-19 PCR test taken at most 48 hours before departure of the last direct flight to United Arab Emirates; and
– a printed negative COVID-19 rapid PCR test (rapid RT-PCR is required for passengers arriving from Bangladesh) taken at most 6 hours before departure from the first embarkation point. The rapid PCR test must be taken at the first departure airport.
The test result must be in Arabic or English and be issued by an approved laboratory listed on https://screening.purehealth.ae or a laboratory accredited by the departure country. The test result must also have a QR code.
– This whole item does not apply to:
– passengers younger than 12 years;
– passengers with disabilities.
– passengers entering Dubai (DXB) or Al Maktoum (DWC).
– The rapid PCR test requirement does not apply to nationals of United Arab Emirates and their first degree family members.
7. Passengers entering United Arab Emirates who are arriving from or have transited through Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania or Uganda must have:
– a printed negative COVID-19 PCR test taken at most 48 hours before departure of the last direct flight to United Arab Emirates; and
– a printed negative COVID-19 rapid PCR test taken at most 6 hours before departure of the last direct flight to United Arab Emirates.
The test result must be in Arabic or English and be issued by an approved laboratory listed on https://screening.purehealth.ae or a laboratory accredited by the departure country. The test result must also have a QR code.
– This does not apply to:
– passengers younger than 12 years;
– passengers with disabilities;
– passengers entering Dubai (DXB) or Al Maktoum (DWC).
8. Passengers transiting through United Arab Emirates from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Botswana, Congo, Congo (Dem. Rep.), Eswatini, India, Lesotho, Liberia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Viet Nam, Zambia or Zimbabwe must have a printed negative COVID-19 PCR test taken at most 72 hours before departure of the last direct flight to United Arab Emirates. The test result must be in Arabic or English and must be issued by an approved laboratory listed on https://screening.purehealth.ae or a laboratory accredited by the departure country. The test result must also have a QR code.
– This does not apply to:
– passengers younger than 12 years;
– passengers with disabilities;
– passengers transiting through Dubai (DXB), Al Maktoum (DWC) or Abu Dhabi (AUH).
9. Passengers entering or transiting through Dubai (DXB) or Al Maktoum (DWC) from Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda or Zambia must have:
– a printed negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test taken at most 48 hours before departure of the last direct flight to United Arab Emirates; and
– a printed negative COVID-19 rapid PCR test taken at most 6 hours before departure of the last direct flight to United Arab Emirates.
The test result must be in Arabic or English and must be issued by an approved laboratory listed on https://screening.purehealth.ae or a laboratory accredited by the departure country. The test result must also have a QR code.
– This does not apply to:
– nationals of United Arab Emirates and their parents, spouses, children and siblings;
– domestic workers who are traveling with the sponsor or with the first degree family members of the sponsor;
– passengers younger than 12 years;
– passengers with disabilities.
10. Passengers entering Dubai (DXB) or Al Maktoum (DWC) from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Botswana, Congo, Congo (Dem. Rep.), Eswatini, Ethiopia, India, Lesotho, Liberia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan or Zimbabwe must have:
– a printed negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test taken at most 48 hours before departure of the last direct flight to United Arab Emirates; and
– a printed negative COVID-19 rapid PCR test taken at most 6 hours before departure from the first embarkation point. The rapid PCR test must be taken at the first departure airport.
The test result must be in Arabic or English and must be issued by an approved laboratory listed on https://screening.purehealth.ae or a laboratory accredited by the departure country. The test result must also have a QR code.
– This does not apply to:
– nationals of United Arab Emirates and their parents, spouses, children and siblings;
– domestic workers who are traveling with the sponsor or with the first degree family members of the sponsor;
– passengers younger than 12 years;
– passengers with disabilities.
11. Passengers transiting through Dubai (DXB) or Al Maktoum (DWC) from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Botswana, Congo, Congo (Dem. Rep.), Eswatini, Ethiopia, India, Lesotho, Liberia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan or Zimbabwe must have a printed negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test taken at most 72 hours before departure of the last direct flight to United Arab Emirates. The test result must be in Arabic or English and must be issued by an approved laboratory listed on https://screening.purehealth.ae or a laboratory accredited by the departure country. The test result must also have a QR code.
– This does not apply to:
– nationals of United Arab Emirates and their parents, spouses, children and siblings;
– domestic workers who are traveling with the sponsor or with the first degree family members of the sponsor;
– passengers younger than 12 years;
– passengers with disabilities.
12. Passengers entering Dubai (DXB) or Al Maktoum (DWC) must have a printed negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test taken at most 72 hours before departure from the first embarkation point. The test result must be in Arabic or English and must be issued by an approved laboratory listed on https://screening.purehealth.ae or a laboratory accredited by the departure country. The test result must have a QR code for passengers arriving from Egypt or Viet Nam.
– This does not apply to:
– nationals of United Arab Emirates and their parents, spouses, children and siblings;
– domestic workers who are traveling with the sponsor or with the first degree family members of the sponsor;
– passengers arriving from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Botswana, Congo, Congo (Dem. Rep.), Eswatini, Ethiopia, India, Lesotho, Liberia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan or Zimbabwe;
– passengers arriving from Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda or Zambia;
– passengers arriving from Lebanon, Turkey or United Kingdom;
– passengers younger than 12 years;
– passengers with disabilities.
13. Passengers entering Ras Al Khaimah (RKT) must have a printed negative COVID-19 PCR test taken at most 72 hours before departure of the last direct flight to United Arab Emirates. The test result must be in Arabic or English and must be issued by an approved laboratory listed on https://screening.purehealth.ae or a laboratory accredited by the departure country.
– This does not apply to:
– nationals of United Arab Emirates;
– passengers younger than 12 years;
– passengers with disabilities;
– passengers arriving from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Botswana, Congo, Congo (Dem. Rep.), Eswatini, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Viet Nam, Zambia or Zimbabwe.
14. Passengers entering Sharjah (SHJ) must have a printed negative COVID-19 PCR test taken at most 72 hours before departure of the last direct flight to United Arab Emirates. The test result must be in Arabic or English and must be issued by an approved laboratory listed on https://screening.purehealth.ae or a laboratory accredited by the departure country.
– This does not apply to:
– nationals of United Arab Emirates;
– passengers younger than 12 years;
– passengers with disabilities;
– passengers arriving from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Botswana, Congo, Congo (Dem. Rep.), Eswatini, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Viet Nam, Zambia or Zimbabwe.
15. Passengers entering Abu Dhabi (AUH) must have a printed negative COVID-19 PCR test taken at most 48 hours before departure from the first embarkation point. The test result must be in Arabic or English and must be issued by an approved laboratory listed on https://screening.purehealth.ae or a laboratory accredited by the departure country. A negative test result issued by an approved laboratory in United Arab Emirates presented upon departure from Abu Dhabi (AUH) is also accepted if the test was taken at most 48 hours before departure to Abu Dhabi (AUH). Passengers arriving from Egypt, Lebanon or Sudan must have a QR code in the test result.
– This does not apply to:
– passengers younger than 12 years;
– passengers with disabilities;
– passengers arriving from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Botswana, Congo, Congo (Dem. Rep.), Eswatini, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Viet Nam, Zambia or Zimbabwe.
16. Passengers transiting Abu Dhabi (AUH) must have a printed negative COVID-19 PCR test taken at most 72 hours before departure from the first embarkation point. The test result must be in Arabic or English and must be issued by an approved laboratory accredited by the departure country. Passengers arriving from Egypt, Ethiopia, Lebanon or Sudan must have a QR code in the test result.
– This does not apply to:
– passengers younger than 12 years;
– passengers with disabilities.
17. Passengers entering Dubai (DXB) or Al Maktoum (DWC) from Afghanistan, Angola, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Cote dIvoire, Czechia, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Romania, Russian Fed., Rwanda, Senegal, Slovakia, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Zambia or Zimbabwe are subject to a COVID-19 RT-PCR test upon arrival.
18. Nationals of United Arab Emirates entering Dubai (DXB) or Al Maktoum (DWC) are subject to a COVID-19 PCR test upon arrival.
19. Passengers entering Abu Dhabi (AUH), Ras Al Khaimah (RKT) or Sharjah (SHJ) are subject to a COVID-19 PCR test upon arrival.
20. Passengers could be subject to quarantine.
– This does not apply to passengers with a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that they were fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), AstraZeneca (SK Bioscience), Covaxin, Covishield, Janssen, Moderna (Spikevax), Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Sinopharm, Sinovac or Sputnik V.
21. Visa on arrival facilities at Abu Dhabi (AUH) restarted.
22. Expired residence permits issued by the United Arab Emirates that have been extended until December 2020 are accepted for entry. Passengers must present proof of the extended validity.
23. Nationals of Korea (Rep.) traveling under the Fast Track program must have an Isolation Exemption Certificate.
24. Passengers are not allowed to transit through Abu Dhabi (AUH) for more than 24 hours. Passengers must have a confirmed airside hotel booking if their transit time exceeds 12 hours.
25. Nationals of Nigeria must have a return ticket, and a hotel booking or proof of accommodation address for the period of intended stay.
– This does not apply to passengers with a resident visa.
26. Passengers arriving at Sharjah (SHJ) must download the ALHOSN App.
27. Airline crew without a printed negative COVID-19 PCR test result of a test taken at most 72 hours before departure from the first embarkation point are subject to quarantine until their next flight.
28. Passengers entering Abu Dhabi (AUH) must register before departure on https://smartservices.ica.gov.ae/echannels/web/client/guest/index.html#/registerArrivals . This will generate a QR code which must be presented before departure and upon arrival.
– This does not apply to nationals of United Arab Emirates.
29. Passengers who in the past 14 days have been in or transited through Ghana are not allowed to enter and transit Dubai (DXB) or Al Maktoum (DWC).
– This does not apply to:
– nationals of United Arab Emirates;
– passengers with a golden visa issued by United Arab Emirates.
30. Passengers entering or transiting through Dubai (DXB) or Al Maktoum (DWC) from Lebanon, Turkey or United Kingdom must have a printed negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test taken at most 48 hours before departure of the last direct flight to United Arab Emirates. The test result must be in Arabic or English and must be issued by an approved laboratory listed on https://screening.purehealth.ae or a laboratory accredited by the departure country. The test result must also have a QR code.
– This does not apply to:
– nationals of United Arab Emirates and their parents, spouses, children and siblings;
– domestic workers who are traveling with the sponsor or with the first degree family members of the sponsor;
– passengers younger than 12 years;
– passengers with disabilities.
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