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COVID-19: Travel suspension between Kuwait and India extended until March 31


Mangalore Today News Network

Kuwait, Mar 01, 2021:     The Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced that the ban on commercial flights between Kuwait and India will continue until March 31.

 

Kuwait


The decision was enforced back on March 23, 2020 when India halted all travel to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The ban was supposed to end on February 28 but the DGCA extended it for a month.

Cargo and chartered flights will continue to operate regularly as per agreements between both countries.

While commercial flights are halted between Kuwait and India, a bilateral air bubble has been put in place between India and around 27 countries, including but not limited to the UAE and Oman.

Travel obstacles

Several travel restrictions have been put in place by both governments making it difficult for Indians to travel to and from the two countries.

Although there are no commercial flights, back in December an agreement between Indian and Kuwait was put in place allowing for chartered flights to operate for domestic workers looking to travel back to Kuwait.

For those looking to travel from Kuwait to India, the Indian Embassy in Kuwait has arranged for a certain number of chartered flights to depart weekly.

Since there are no direct flights many passengers have traveled via the UAE. Non-Kuwaitis had to quarantine in the UAE for 14 days before departing Kuwait as India was amongst one of the 35 countries that Kuwait labeled as ‘high risk’ thus banning passengers traveling directly to Kuwait from those countries.

Currently, all non-Kuwaitis are barred from entering Kuwait completely until further notice.


Courtesy:Gulf News