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In light of continued Covid concerns, the carrier has issued fresh notices for travellers from 15 countries in Africa. According to the latest update on the Emirates website, customers originating from the following destinations will not be accepted for travel to or through Dubai: Angola, Guinea, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana and Ethiopia. While customers originating from Conakry to Dakar will not be accepted for travel, outbound passenger operations from Dubai to these destinations remain unaffected. But flights to and from the following points will not be accepted for travel: Core d’Ivoire, Lusaka, Harare, Lagos, Abuja and Casablanca. A statement said: “Affected customers do not need to call us immediately for rebooking. Customers can simply hold on to their Emirates ticket and when flights resume, get in touch with their travel agent or booking office to make new travel plans.”

With effect from 00:01am on 06 January, the additional international travel requirements applied in response to the emergence of the Omicron variant have been removed. Vaccinated or recovered travellers into Ireland are required to present evidence of a valid Digital COVID Certificate (DCC) or other acceptable proof of vaccination/previous infection prior to travel. Travellers that are not vaccinated or recovered (with the exception the exemptions specified on gov.ie, including children aged 11 and under) are required to present evidence of a not detected RT-PCR test carried out no more than 72 hours before their arrival into Ireland.

As of 09 January 2022 entry of vaccinated/recovered tourists from 'orange' countries will be permitted, which South Africa will now be qualified as. The following regulations will be in place; fully Vaccinated with final dose at least 14 days prior to entry and at most 180 days when leaving Israel, or have received a booster shot at least 14 days prior to entry. An Entry Statement to be completed within 48 hours of entry on https://corona.health.gov.il/en/flights/. PCR Test 72 hours before flight or Antigen test 24 hours before flight. A second PCR test will be administered on arrival, where visitors will then be required to quarantine for 24 hours or until a test result comes back negative, whichever is sooner. The requirement for testing on arrival will be in place from 04 January for all vaccinated arrivals. The test can be paid for on arrival or prepaid online prior at a more affordable rate on https://testngo.femi.com/en/sign-in. Unvaccinated travellers will have to quarantine for 14 full days and will not be allowed to leave the country until the quarantine period is completed.

With effect from 06 January 2022, South Africa has been removed from Seychelles' list of restricted countries. The following regulations and entry regulations will apply for visitors to Seychelles. Negative Covid-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to departure. Completed Health Travel Authorisation required available on seychelles.govtas.com. Valid travel and health insurance to cover Covid-19 related quarantine, isolation and treatment. Individuals who have had a recent past infection (between 2 and 12 weeks before the date of departure) can produce a negative rapid antigen test within 72hours of departure, with evidence of this infection (positive test result and certificate confirming completion of isolation or certificate of recovery) instead of a PCR test. These documents should be submitted during the Travizory application process. Asymptomatic children under the age of 2 will be exempted from PCR or Antigen testing requirements. When staying at a certified tourism establishment no tests will be required to be taken during the stay, however where this is not the case, a day-5 PCR test is required to be taken. Conditions for the stay of children up to age 17, will be as for the parent/guardian they are accompanying. Different regulations will apply for Seychellois, residents and their Dependents as well as Gainful-Occupation-Permit holders and their Dependents.

ith a surge in cases relating to the new omicron variant, various regions across India are adding new travel restrictions during the busy holiday travel period. This week, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) introduced a seven-day home quarantine for all passengers arriving in Mumbai from the UAE. Along with mandatory quarantine, all passengers are required to show proof of double vaccination in addition to a negative PCR test taken no longer than 72 hours prior to travel. Passengers incoming from at-risk countries to Delhi will be required to take a PCR test on arrival, and those who will present with a positive test will then need to undergo a seven-day quarantine. A PCR test must be taken on the eighth day; if the results are still positive, travellers must self-quarantine for an additional seven days. All travellers arriving in India are also advised to pre-download Aarogya Setu, a COVID-19 tracking app developed by the government where travellers can upload their Covid vaccination certificates and PCR tests.

The UAE will ban all unvaccinated citizens from travel on January 10, the country’s National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) announced Saturday. The new rules also require Emiratis planning to travel to have received a booster dose of vaccine if they are eligible. The booster can be taken six months after an individual has received their second dose of vaccine.

South Africa will be removed as a virus variant area from 03 January. From 04 January South Africa will be considered a high-risk area, whereby travellers from high-risk areas can enter Germany under the relaxed conditions. All travellers will be required to complete the digital entry registration form. Persons over the age of six must provide a negative test result, proof of recovery OR vaccination. Tests that are accepted will be either a negative PCR test result taken no more than 72 hours prior to entry or a negative antigen rapid test, carried out no more than 48 hours prior to entry. For persons who have been vaccinated or recovered and arrive from a high-risk area, mandatory quarantine ends immediately after submitting proof of vaccination or proof of recovery on the entry portal of the Federal Republic of Germany. For all other travellers, a 10 day self-isolation applies, that can be ended after 5 days by submitting a negative test result.

South Africa will remain at Adjusted Alert Level 1. Curfew will be lifted and there will be no restriction on the hours of movement of people. Gatherings are permitted however only a maximum of 1000 people indoors and no more than 2000 people outdoors will be allowed. All international travellers arriving in South Africa must produce a negative PCR test, to be presented on arrival and not older than 72 hours from the date of departure from the country of origin. Masks must be worn for the duration of travel. A person entering the Republic must be subjected to screening on arrival at the point of entry, including the completion of a traveller health questionnaire.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s ultra-low-fare national airline, will now add its second Russian flight destination, this time to Krasnodar. The announcement follows the recent addition of Moscow to the airline’s flight network making Krasnodar the second Russian destination available with Wizz Air Abu Dhabi. The flight to Krasnodar will operate two times a week on Monday and Friday. Tickets are on sale on wizzair.com and the airline’s mobile app (also available in Arabic)

Qatar Airways will add Tashkent, Uzbekistan to its global network with twice weekly flights from next month. The first flight from Doha to Tashkent will take off on January 17, 2022, operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft, featuring 12 seats in Business Class and 120 seats in Economy Class. The twice-weekly service will depart Doha every Monday and Friday.

The US CDC issued a Level 4 recommendation yesterday (December 6) against travel to France, Portugal, Jordan, Cyprus, Andorra, Liechtenstein and Tanzania, adding to a long list of destinations, including Germany and Denmark. The State Department issued an aligning warning against travel to the above countries and added Fiji to its ‘Do Not Travel’ list.

Passengers will not be allowed to board a flight to the UK without producing evidence of a negative PCR or lateral flow test result. The UK will require all travellers to take a pre-flight Covid-19 test within 48 hours prior to their flight – regardless of their vaccine status. The amended rules come into force from 4am on Tuesday this week and come in light of the continued spread of the Omicron variant. They will apply to vaccinated passengers and children aged 12 and above.

Canada announced on Saturday (December 4) that it would allow Canadians to return home from South Africa if they had a negative molecular test taken within two days of departure, and leave on flights transiting through Frankfurt on or before December 13.

Saudi Arabia on Friday announced the lifting of air travel restrictions from countries where flights were previously banned due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The circular allows passengers coming from Indonesia, Pakistan, Brazil, Vietnam, Egypt and India to enter Saudi Arabia without the need to spend 14 days outside these countries before entering into the kingdom. However, they must spend five days in quarantine regardless of their vaccination status outside the kingdom, according to a statement carried by Saudi Press Agency.

Due to the Omicron Covid-19 variant, new restrictions on travel between South Africa and further Southern African countries, have been put in place. The newly added countries applying either additional testing requirements, quarantine on arrival, travel for restricted exempt travellers or complete bans on travel for the affected countries include; Kuwait, Norway, Fiji, South Korea, Indonesia, Slovenia, Finland, the Bahamas, Mongolia, Macau, Brunei, Lithuania, Peru, the Ukraine, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba, Antigua and Barbuda, Ecuador, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Iceland, Chile, St Vincent and The Grenadine, Aruba, and Uzbekistan.

Israel has further relaxed Covid-19 health requirements for both returning citizens and foreign tourists looking to enter the country. From today, passengers arriving in the destination can present a negative antigen test from the previous 24 hours. This is instead of the previous requirement of a negative PCR test from the previous 72 hours. Passengers landing at Ben Gurion airport and Israel’s other border entry points will still be required to undergo a PCR test at the airport and remain in isolation until the results are received (within 24 hours).

Following President Ramaphosa's speech on the evening of 28 November and amidst developments surrounding the Omicron variant, South Africa will remain under alert level one. All international travellers arriving in South Africa must produce a negative PCR test, to be presented on arrival and not older than 72 hours from the date of departure from the country of origin, as well as a vaccination certificate. Masks must be worn for the duration of travel. A person entering the Republic must be subjected to screening on arrival at the point of entry, including the completion of a traveller health questionnaire. Some travel restrictions and travel bans have been placed on travel from South Africa and it is essential to check the entry requirements of the country you wish to travel to, inclusive of any transits, stop overs as well as the end destination.

Qatar Airways’ inaugural flight from Doha to Almaty in Kazakhstan has landed at Almaty International Airport, marking the launch of the airline’s newest gateway in central Asia. Operated by an Airbus A320, flight QR0391 was welcomed with an opening ceremony attended by Qatar ambassador to Kazakhstan, Abdulaziz Sultan Al-Rumaihi. Also on hand were Qatar Airways senior vice president eastern regions, Marwan Koleilat; chairman of Aviation Committee of Kazakhstan, Talgat Lastayev; president of Almaty International Airport, Alp Er Tunga Ersoy, and a host of airport and government officials from Kazakhstan.

The government has reintroduced red list restrictions on arrivals from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Namibia with immediate effect. The move comes in response to the discovery of a new variant of Covid-19. Variant B.1.1.529 has been declared a “variant under investigation” by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Officials said the variant includes a large number of spike protein mutations as well as mutations in other parts of the viral genome.

Saudi Arabia will allow direct entry to travelers from all countries who have received one dose of COVID-19 vaccine starting from December 4, the Ministry of Interior said on Saturday. Travelers allowed entry would have to quarantine for three days. The ministry did not specify a particular vaccine as a requirement. The Kingdom suspended on Friday flights to and from South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho and Eswatini over concerns of the spread of the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron. It allowed airports to operate at 100 percent capacity, cancelled the requirement of social distancing in public places, modes of transportation, restaurants, and cinemas, as well as lifting the requirement of wearing masks outdoors. The authorities also lifted the restrictions on the number of people at gatherings such as wedding halls and event venues.