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UAE allows direct travel for Bangladeshi passengers UAE Travel
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UAE allows direct travel for Bangladeshi passengers

Bangladesh Live News | @banglalivenews | 30 Sep 2021, 12:07 pm

Dhaka, September 30: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has agreed to allow passengers on direct flights from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for coronavirus testing has also been adopted in the RT-PCR laboratories of the six institutes set up at the airport. As a result, from now on, expatriate workers and UAE-bound passengers will be able to go directly after getting their coronavirus samples checked before departure as per the instructions.

Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Executive Director Group Captain AHM Tauhid-ul A confirmed the information. On Wednesday (September 29) night, he said that from now on, expatriate workers / passengers will be able to fly directly to the UAE.

He said the UAE authorities had approved the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that was sent to the RT-PCR laboratories of the six establishments set up at the airport to approve the coronavirus test. As a result, according to their instructions, a passenger can go to the UAE by getting their samples tested once 48 hours and again six hours before departure.

He added that flights to the UAE were not closed. Although there was no direct flight, there was an opportunity to transit to another country. However, from now on, passengers will be able to go directly to UAE by getting their samples checked at the airport.

The UAE embassy agreed on the RT-PCR test procedure at laboratories set up at the airport, on Wednesday. The decision came into effect from 12:00 pm. The letter of consent of the embassy has been sent to Air Vice Marshal M Mofidur Rahman, Chairman, Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB).

Earlier on September 15, the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment selected seven private companies to set up RT-PCR labs for coronavirus testing at Shahjalal International Airport. Six of these companies submitted the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on September 16. These SOPs were sent to the UAE for verification. The UAE agreed to this on Wednesday.

An official of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) working at Shahjalal International Airport said that although the fee for coronavirus test varies from institution to institution, passengers can get their samples tested six hours before boarding the flight by depositing a fee of Tk 1,600.

Earlier in August, the UAE imposed Covid-19 RT-PCR tests six hours before the trip to the country.