On Thursday, Emirates Airlines released a statement, announcing that the travel ban was officially lifted from the UAE and SA.
At end of November, the UAE was among many countries to re-implement travel restrictions on South Africa. This was due to a spike in Covid-19 infections, which was mainly driven by the Omicron variant. And as a result, flights from Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg have been barred for nearly two months.
The United Arab Emirates will still adhere to strict Covid-19 protocols
According to the statement, South African travellers may enter the UAE whilst strict protocols will still remain in place.
“All passengers travelling from Emirates’ African network with Dubai as their final destination require a 48-hour PCR test. Passengers must present a valid negative Covid-19 PCR test certificate with a QR code for a test conducted at an approved facility, and validity must be calculated from the time the sample was collected. Upon arrival in Dubai, passengers will undergo an additional Covid-19 PCR test and remain in self-quarantine until the results of the test are received,” the airline said.
Flights will also be available again from Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya and Zimbabwe.
“Passengers travelling from these destinations and transiting in Dubai are required to follow the rules and requirements of their final destination.”
“Customers flying in and out of Emirates’ African gateways can safely connect to Dubai and to an array of onwards connections to Europe, Middle East, the Americas, West Asia and Australasia.”
We are pleased to announce that flights to and from South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe will resume starting 29 January. https://t.co/JSkmmxPlzk 1/2 pic.twitter.com/RkZM0eG31N
— Emirates Airline (@emirates) January 27, 2022