DUBAI — Emirates will be operating special repatriation flights to five Indian cities between July 12-26 to assist stranded Indians get home and for residents of UAE currently in India to return to the UAE. The flights will be operated to Bengaluru, Delhi, Kochi, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram between July 12-26, 2020 offering the following flight frequencies Bengaluru: twice daily flights, Delhi: twice daily flights, Kochi: twice daily flights, Mumbai: thrice daily flights and Thiruvananthapuram: once daily flights. The flights to Bengaluru and Mumbai are subject to state government approval. Flights can be booked on emirates.com, through travel agents, Emirates’ sales offices and contact center. Passengers must meet all the entry requirements of the destination to be allowed to board the flights. Only Indian citizens stranded in the UAE will be allowed to fly from Dubai to the five Indian destinations. These flights will be available for UAE nationals and residents with prior entry approval from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs, GDFRA, for residents of Dubai and ICA approval for residents of other emirates of the UAE. All passengers traveling from airports in India to Dubai are also required to carry a negative Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) certificate issued by a laboratory authorized by the government of India to be accepted on the flight. Certificates must be issued no more than 96 hours before departure. As part of a 15-day agreement between UAE and India, UAE-based carriers have announced flights to carry Indian citizens from the UAE to India. Etihad Airways will resume a limited number of special flights from Abu Dhabi to six Indian gateways; Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, and Mumbai, between July 15-26. All eligible passengers traveling from India to Abu Dhabi must possess the relevant UAE entry approvals set by the government of Abu Dhabi. Passengers traveling to India must adhere to guidelines set by the government of India, and are also requested to arrive at Abu Dhabi Airport a minimum of four hours prior to departure to undertake mandatory rapid testing in Terminal 1A before check-in. Air Arabia will also be operating special scheduled flights from Sharjah to India. These special flights are dedicated to carrying Indian passengers residing in the UAE back home. They will fly from Sharjah to; Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Delhi, Kannur, Kochi, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Mumbai and Trivandrum. All rules of travel must be adhered to. Passengers must arrive at the airport four hours prior to departure. Passengers must wear medical masks and gloves at the airport, on board the plane, and in transit. — WAM/agencies