Following the UAE's updated PCR rules for travellers, Etihad no longer requires passengers to have a negative PCR test before boarding if fully vaccinated. Photo: Etihad
Following the UAE's updated PCR rules for travellers, Etihad no longer requires passengers to have a negative PCR test before boarding if fully vaccinated. Photo: Etihad
Following the UAE's updated PCR rules for travellers, Etihad no longer requires passengers to have a negative PCR test before boarding if fully vaccinated. Photo: Etihad
Following the UAE's updated PCR rules for travellers, Etihad no longer requires passengers to have a negative PCR test before boarding if fully vaccinated. Photo: Etihad

Tests on arrival but no pre-departure PCR tests needed for travellers to Abu Dhabi


Hayley Skirka
  • English
  • Arabic

Travellers flying with Etihad Airways no longer need to provide a negative PCR test result before boarding flights to the UAE if they are fully vaccinated.

An updated announcement from the national airline of the UAE came on Saturday evening.

Earlier in the day, Etihad had said passengers should still have a negative PCR test to fly to the emirates.

Now, this requirement has been scrapped

Fully-vaccinated travellers to Abu Dhabi no longer need to present a PCR test when boarding Etihad flights. All arriving passengers will continue to undergo a PCR test on arrival at Abu Dhabi International Airport.

No further follow-up PCR tests are required for tourists arriving in the UAE capital.

Etihad has updated testing rules for travellers to Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National
Etihad has updated testing rules for travellers to Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

“We warmly welcome this move by the UAE authorities to make travelling to and from Abu Dhabi and the UAE even easier, while maintaining a safe environment,” said Terry Daly, executive director guest experience, brand and marketing at Etihad Airways.

“Abu Dhabi has built a reputation for delivering a robust response to the pandemic with high vaccination rates and a comprehensive approach to health and safety measures.”

“Similarly, through the Etihad Wellness programme, we’ve ensured a healthy in-flight environment with fully vaccinated crew to look after our guests on board. With this in mind, we look forward to welcoming more and more visitors to enjoy our beautiful home and sunny climate throughout the year” said Daly.

An update on Etihad’s website confirms that PCR tests are not required for travel to Abu Dhabi.

Children under 16 remain exempt from needing a negative PCR test when flying with Etihad, unless it's a requirement of their final destination.

Etihad was the first airline in the world to require all passengers to have a negative PCR test for travel during the pandemic.

It implemented the rule in August 2020 as part of its safety measures put in place to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 via air travel.

Travellers flying to Dubai with Emirates need only have a negative PCR test result to board flights when their final destination requires it.

Unvaccinated travellers need PCR tests to fly to the UAE

Travellers who have not been vaccinated for Covid-19 need a negative PCR test result to fly to the UAE. AFP
Travellers who have not been vaccinated for Covid-19 need a negative PCR test result to fly to the UAE. AFP

Unvaccinated travellers flying to the UAE need to continue to show a negative PCR test conducted within 48 hours of departure, or a recovery certificate with a QR code proving they have recovered from the virus within a month of the date of travel.

Abu Dhabi has also scrapped its green list of countries for travel and removed quarantine for international travellers.

Top post-pandemic destinations for UAE travellers: in pictures

The specs

Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

Power: 271 and 409 horsepower

Torque: 385 and 650Nm

Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000

MATCH INFO

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Man of the match Harry Kane

Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Details

Kabir Singh

Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series

Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga

Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa

Rating: 2.5/5 

UAE tour of Zimbabwe

All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – UAE won by 36 runs
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
​​​​​​​Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km

Company profile

Date started: 2015

Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki

Based: Dubai

Sector: Online grocery delivery

Staff: 200

Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

The specs: 2019 Haval H6

Price, base: Dh69,900

Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km

How to help

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200

Disclaimer

Director: Alfonso Cuaron 

Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville 

Rating: 4/5

Monster

Directed by: Anthony Mandler

Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington 

3/5

 

The%20stats%20and%20facts
%3Cp%3E1.9%20million%20women%20are%20at%20risk%20of%20developing%20cervical%20cancer%20in%20the%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E80%25%20of%20people%2C%20females%20and%20males%2C%20will%20get%20human%20papillomavirus%20(HPV)%20once%20in%20their%20lifetime%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EOut%20of%20more%20than%20100%20types%20of%20HPV%2C%2014%20strains%20are%20cancer-causing%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E99.9%25%20of%20cervical%20cancers%20are%20caused%20by%20the%20virus%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EA%20five-year%20survival%20rate%20of%20close%20to%2096%25%20can%20be%20achieved%20with%20regular%20screenings%20for%20cervical%20cancer%20detection%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EWomen%20aged%2025%20to%2029%20should%20get%20a%20Pap%20smear%20every%20three%20years%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EWomen%20aged%2030%20to%2065%20should%20do%20a%20Pap%20smear%20and%20HPV%20test%20every%20five%20years%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EChildren%20aged%2013%20and%20above%20should%20get%20the%20HPV%20vaccine%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Where to donate in the UAE

The Emirates Charity Portal

You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments

The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Al Noor Special Needs Centre

You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.

Beit Al Khair Society

Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.

Dar Al Ber Society

Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.

Dubai Cares

Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.

Emirates Airline Foundation

Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.

Emirates Red Crescent

On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.

Gulf for Good

Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.

Noor Dubai Foundation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).

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16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side

8 There are eight players per team

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5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls

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Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.

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Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm

Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km

The%20specs
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4pm: Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)

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