Coronavirus Travel Restrictions in the Middle East: Middle Eastern countries are imposing the following restrictions and travel bans to combat the spread of COVID-19.
United Arab Emirates
On June 25, the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority announced that all airports reopen and flight restrictions be lifted.
This resumes international flights to and from UAE airports provided that operators and passengers strictly comply with relevant public health precautionary measures.
Bahrain
Procedure for obtaining a landing permit:
Application through Embassy of Bahrain of the respective country for a diplomatic permission (MOFA) in order to obtain a landing permit for OBBI.
Once the application is approved it must be forwarded to the handling agent along with the passenger and crew manifest that includes their nationalities.
The handling agent should communicate with the Ministry of Health about the arrival of the aircraft.
All of these supporting documents must be submitted at application stage.
All arriving passengers and crew must go through COVID19 screening which will take a couple of hours.
Egypt
From August 15, all travelers must present a negative PCR test result issued not more than 72 hours prior to arrival. This does not apply to Egyptians or travelers flying directly to Sharm el Sheikh, Taba, Hurghada, Marsa Alam, and Matrouh International Airports.
Passengers arriving from the Republic of Iraq of any nationality, including Egyptians, must submit a negative PCR test.
Operator/ airline procedures:
Airlines must provide declaration forms at the airport of departure and ensure that it is fulfilled and signed by the passenger
Must accommodate exit screening examination for departing passengers at the departure airport
Don’t allow any passenger to board with a temperature equal or over 38 degree or showing any respiratory symptoms
Fulfill the general acknowledgement of the aircraft and deliver it to the quarantine authority in the destination airport
Submit a form to the quarantine authority at the destination airport in order to state the cleanliness of the aircraft
Jordan
All flights arriving or departing Jordanian civil airports are suspended until August 31 with the exception of the following:
Emergency, cargo, humanitarian/medevac, repatriation, UN, and state/diplomatic flights
Technical stops where crew and passengers do not disembark
As alternate airports identified in a flight plan for flight planning purposes
Domestic flights with prior permission, training flights, and flight tests
The exempted flights above shall refer to the instructions of civil aviation regulatory commission available at www.carc.gov.jo
Overflights of Amman continue as normal.
All air services are normal.
Iran
All airports within Tehran are available for limited passenger operations with the following conditions:
Resuming international flights requires obtaining a verification from the Air Transport Bureau
Operators must apply for slots in advance
The entry of commercial freight through cargo flights is permitted without any restriction
All arriving passengers are required to hold valid health certificate issued (in English) by the appropriate health authorities of their country of departure
This certificate shall contain a COVID-19 molecular test issued at maximum of 96 hours before entry
All passengers must complete a health declaration form before arrival
All operators are required to adhere to best practice in-flight COVID-19 health protocols
Israel
Only Israeli nationals and residents or those passengers that have Israeli government approval will be allowed to enter.
Kuwait
As of now only Kuwaiti passengers, passengers travelling with a Kuwaiti sponsor, or residents are being accepted.
Inbound passengers:
Full handling or flight schedule and must be sent 48 hours before operations
Passenger passport copy and the MOH form must be signed by each passenger
COVID-19 test will be done on arrival by medical staff
Outbound passengers:
Full handling or flight schedule and must be sent 48 hours before operations
Non nationals must provide a passport copy if they wish to leave Kuwait
Kuwaiti nationals wishing to leave must be granted official approval from the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as a passport copy
Crew:
All crew members must stay at the Safir Hotel during their transit
Crew must wear complete PPE such as masks and disposable gloves
Crew will be checked by medical staff
Oman
All international and domestic passenger flights arriving or departing from OOMM are suspended.
OOMS and OOSA are available for emergency diversions only with 15 minutes’ notice required.
This doesn’t apply to:
Cargo flights approved by the authorities
Domestic flights to OOKB
Overflights at OOMM
Select aircraft operations and exemptions by authorities
Humanitarian, repatriation, and diplomatic flights approved prior to operations
Please note that all flights with disembarking/embarking pax, permission must be applied through diplomatic channels.
Qatar
No visitors are allowed to enter.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi nationals and residents are allowed to enter with approval from the MOH but a 14-day quarantine is necessary
Domestic flights have resumed but international flights have been suspended indefinitely
Requests for repatriation flight out of Saudi must be submitted 72 hours before the departure
Tech stops are allowed but crew and passengers may not disembark
Crew rest is not available unless a layover is approved by the authorities
While the Information is considered to be true and correct at the date of publication, changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of the Information. The Information may change without notice and UAS is not in any way liable for the accuracy of any information printed and stored or in any way interpreted and used by a user.
For support with your flight operations, contact UAS
Next, we’ll look at travel restrictions for Africa and Russia/CIS.
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Mitch Launius
Instructor Pilot for 30 West IP
Mitch is the CEO of 30 West IP where he is also an instructor providing pilot training on international procedures. With an illustrious career of over 34 years in the cockpit, Mitch has acquired over 13,000 hours of flight time flying worldwide, with over 9,000 hours of this in Challenger and Gulfstream aircraft. He is an experienced safety officer and was also an IS-BAO project manager for a fortune 500 flight department. He has presented on Safety and Operations topics at the NBAA International Operators Conference and the Canadian Business Aviation Association Convention and is currently on the NBAA International Operators Committee and serves as the North Atlantic Regional Lead. Mitch is also a member of an FAA working group on General Aviation International Authorizations and Tabletop Exercises (GIATE). He was recently selected to represent IBAC as a member of the ICAO Personal Training and Licensing Panel (PTLP) and was also recently named as a 2020 recipient of the NBAA Tony Kern Professionalism in Aviation Award for his contribution to the business aviation community.
Henry ‘Duke’ LeDuc
Director Of Operations, Americas, UAS International Trip Support
Duke has been a dearly respected member of UAS Americas team and the UAS global family for more than five years. A safety-oriented, FAA-licensed aircraft dispatcher, he oversees all of the operations of the elite UAS Operations Team. With twenty-five years of experience in aviation overall with more than fifteen years of experience in international flight planning and VVIP trip coordination, he is responsible for the development of the dispatch training program and involved in the strategic development of UAS Americas. With a myriad of rich aviation experience behind him, he has extensive experience in worldwide operations with both corporate and charter environments, including seven years as Operations/Dispatch Manager in an industry-leading, Fortune 500, IS-BAO Stage III Certified corporate flight department. Duke is frequently asked shares his knowledge at major industry events and is currently serving on the NBAA’s International Operators Conference (IOC) Planning Committee.
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Dr. Paulo Alves
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Paulo has extensive experience in medical advisory in the aviation industry. As a cardiologist, he provides technical guidance and analysis for MedAire’s MedLink medical advisory service and is MedAire’s liaison with civil aviation regulators and industry associations. Paulo worked with Varig Brazilian Airlines for 23 years, 10 of which were spent as General Medical Manager. A member of the MedAire Medical Advisory Board, Paulo is also President of the Ibero-American Aerospace Medical Association, a member of the International Academy of Aerospace Medicine, a member of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Safety Committee, a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA), and a Fellow of the Civil Aviation Medical Association. Throughout his illustrious career, Paulo has held industry leadership roles including Chairperson of the AsMA’s Air Transport Medicine Committee, President of the Airlines Medical Directors Association, President of the Brazilian Society of Aerospace Medicine and was a member of the IATA Medical Advisory Group from 2002 to 2006.
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