Etihad Airways to operate special flights to 3 Indian cities

Etihad Airways will be operating special flights from Abu Dhabi to three Indian cities from August 21.

According to the national carrier, a series of passenger flights will take-off from the capital to Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai. 

Etihad has explained that only permanent residents of certain Indian states are permitted to travel to the mentioned cities.

Permanent residents of the state of Karnataka can travel to Bengaluru, while those of the states of Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan can travel to Delhi.

And, only those who are permanent residents of the state of Maharashtra can travel to Mumbai.

Travellers leaving from Abu Dhabi to India must book their tickets 24 hours in advanced and must present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result from a government accredited facility. 

People will need to present a negative result certificate received within 96 hours prior to departure. 

Etihad clarified that this will exempt passengers from the mandatory quarantine period on arrival in India. 

Meanwhile, children under the age of 12 and people with mild to severe disabilities are currently exempt from the PCR test requirement, however, rules may differ depending on the state, which is why travellers have been advised to check before their flight.

Additionally, people will need to follow the Air Suvidha guidelines and fill in the Arrival Self-Declaration Form, which is available online or from the Hala travel consultants.

The airliner has also said that those travelling on special services to India are required to wear a face shield, which will be provided upon boarding.