Talks are under way over the return of regular flights between India and the UAE, after a 15-day travel window was extended to allow stranded Indian residents back to the Emirates.
The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority said an update would be given to the public once discussions were completed. A 15-day travel pact allowing flights between India and the UAE ended on Sunday.
Pavan Kapoor, India’s ambassador to the UAE, said flights will continue for another seven days while a new agreement was worked out.
"It has been extended at least for another week," Mr Kapoor told The National.
“The idea is that we keep it going, so time has been given while we come to an agreement for the way forward.”
The air corridor, once announced, would not cover transit passengers and will be restricted to people whose final destination was either the UAE or India.
Once the air corridor starts, I'm hoping more people can get back to their lives in the UAE
Bookings opened on Monday for flights from the UAE to India – as part of the fifth phase of the Vande Bharat or Salute India government-led mission.
More than 100 repatriation flights will take Indian citizens home from the Emirates between August 1 to 15.
About 75 flights will operate from Dubai and Sharjah and 30 services from Abu Dhabi. Destinations include Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Jaipur, Amritsar, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kochi.
Air India Express said Indian citizens registered with the diplomatic missions in Dubai and Abu Dhabi were able to book via the airline’s website or through registered UAE travel agents from Monday.
Close to 210,000 Indians have been repatriated from the UAE since May 7.
An estimated 10,000 have travelled back to the Emirates over the past few weeks with double that number hoping to return.
UAE residents who were in India when borders closed in March have appealed for more flights and a quicker approvals process to allow them to return to the Emirates.
They said booking sites often listed flights as sold out or routes were cancelled after bookings were made.
There has also been some confusion over whether a Covid-19 PCR test must be obtained from a UAE-affiliated Pure Health facility. The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority has since confirmed a PCR test conducted by an accredited lab in the country of departure would also be accepted.
It was a close shave for Sushant Dalai, an engineer at an Abu Dhabi metals company, who received his test result while waiting to depart from New Delhi airport.
Mr Dalai, 32, took the test in his home town in Bhubaneshwar, in eastern India, before flying to Delhi to take an Emirates flight back to Dubai.
Tests must be valid for 72 hours before travel.
“It was really very tight and I had to reschedule a flight because the lab was shut on Sunday and it takes 24 hours to get the result,” said Mr Dalai, who lives in Dubai and required clearance from the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship to travel.
“I’m relieved now but it has been a difficult time. Once the air bubble starts, I’m hoping more people can get back to their lives in the UAE.
“I have 18 friends and colleagues who went to India for their annual vacation in March and are waiting for approvals.”
Some residents have spent thousands to buy seats on private jets or travelled lengthy routes via the UK to return to the Emirates.
Mr Dalai returned to his wife last week after five months abroad. He had gone to India because his father was in hospital with complications due to high blood pressure in March.
“We were newly married in September so it has been really difficult for my wife. She was lonely because this is her first time abroad and she has no friends or relatives here,” he said.
“Our companies have been supportive. People just want to return to their jobs and their family.”
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Leaderboard
63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)
64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)
66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)
67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
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The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
Mica
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
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The years Ramadan fell in May
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
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- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The five pillars of Islam
RESULT
Aston Villa 1
Samatta (41')
Manchester City 2
Aguero (20')
Rodri (30')
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
