Due to revised Covid-19 guidelines issued by the United Arab Emirates, a significant number of passengers travelling from Pakistan to Dubai have been denied boarding from Pakistan for not having negative rapid PCR test conducted within four hours before departure of flights.
The negative rapid PCR test conducted within four hours prior to departure of a flight for Dubai has been made mandatory by the UAE authorities. However, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Pakistan says that they don’t have the facility of rapid PCR test at any international airport of the country.
In a press release issued on Friday, a spokesman for the CAA said that the stipulation had been mandated by UAE Authorities without any advance information to the CAA or any other stakeholder.
He said that the CAA had 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 the travellers.
Final destination approval would also have to be provided, the authority said, adding that UAE departure airports would arrange separate lounges for transiting passengers.
"This is to bring to the attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that currently, our relevant Health Authorities do not have the resources to conduct Rapid PCR Tests in Pakistan and only Rapid Antigen Testing is being used as method of testing for arriving passengers at Pakistani Airports," the CAA said in the letter to MoFA.
"While we may ensure that Dubai terminating passengers from Pakistan hold a valid negative PCR Test Result conducted within the 48 hours prior to commencement of travel to Dubai, we cannot provide Rapid PCR Test facility to departing passengers for Dubai as it is currently unavailable in Pakistan," it added.
"In-lieu, Dubai terminating passengers from Pakistan may be tested at our Airports using Rapid Antigen Testing conducted within the 06 hours prior to departure of flight for Dubai and any subsequent PCR Testing may be undertaken upon arrival at Dubai.
"Considering the importance of the travel requirement of our esteemed passengers between Pakistan and Dubai, it is submitted that the above-stated matter may be taken up with the relevant UAE Authorities on priority, please and the UAE Authorities may be urged to reconsider their policy on inbound passengers from Pakistan to Dubai," the letter further stated.
Even as the UAE has lifted suspensions on return of Pakistan expats, thousands of Pakistanis still remain stranded due to the non-availability of rapid antigen test facilities at the local airports.
“There is no Rapid Antigen Test facility at the Pakistani airports. Therefore, passengers are not able to board the flights. The UAE has emphasised to strictly follow SOPs (standard operating procedures), and bring passengers that meet all the guidelines and conditions,” UAE country manager of a private airline Sohail Nazar told Khaleej Times.
“All the airlines are facing this challenge because none of the airports in Pakistan has this facility. Importantly, the condition is that this rapid antigen test has to be conducted within the premises of the airport and not outside the premises of the airport. This means the rapid test has to be done four hours before departure of the flight,” Sohail said.
He said that some laboratories in Pakistan offer the facility, but it is useless because the rapid test is not conducted within the premises of the airport.
