UAE SUSPENDS ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES OVER TRAVELLERS FROM UGANDA
By Correspondent
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has barred Ethiopian Airlines from operating flights in its country over COVID-19 restrictions imposed on travelers from Uganda.
Ethiopian Airlines operates Entebbe-Dubai flights via Addis Ababa. However, this arrangement is being tested by the latest UAE restrictions because direct flights to Dubai last an average of 5 and half hours. UAE requires passengers from Uganda to present negative COVID-19 certificates issued 48 hours and 6 hours to departing time.
The 6-hour test must however be undertaken by one of the laboratories testing for COVID-19 at Peniel Beach, the centre set up for testing passengers at Entebbe International airport.
Sources at the airport say Ethiopian Airlines carried nine passengers from Entebbe whose six-hour test result certificates had expired by the time they landed in Dubai on Monday, September 13. As a result, UAE directed Ethiopian Airlines to return the affected passengers to Entebbe.
“Next day, the UAE authorities told Ethiopian Airlines to stop flying passengers from Uganda after failing to comply with the new measures,” a source told URN.
Meseret Tstgay, the country manager of Ethiopian Airlines has however denied that such a thing happened. She however confirms that UAE has stopped Ethiopian Airlines from flying to Dubai. Tstgay says the airline has submitted an application for approval to the Civil Aviation Authority of UAE to resume flights.
Tstgay explains that while the airline was cleared to resume flights from Entebbe on September 9, UAE slapped the airline with a travel ban mid-week.
“We received the communication from UAE at midday and yet 15 passengers going to Dubai had already boarded our 2:45 pm flight for that day,” Tstgay explains, “So we engaged Emirates and they flew our passengers to Dubai on the same day.”
Tstgay says the airline advises passengers who had pre-booked flights to reschedule them because Ethiopian Airlines was still having talks with UAE authorities over the travel requirements.