Flights on UAE-India routes still only 25-30% of pre-COVID-19 levels: Cleartrip

Flights on UAE-India routes still only 25-30% of pre-COVID-19 levels: Cleartrip

Dubai: Demand for flights on the UAE-India route are running at 25-30 per cent of levels seen before the pandemic brought a complete disruption to services. This is even though ticket rates on this sector is still easily available in the Dh300-Dh700 range. The main reason why demand is being held back is because of the quarantine measures several of the Indian destinations still have in place. Traditional high-frequency routes such as Dubai-Mumbai are among those impacted by such requirements on passengers. India "needs to open [air] borders and right now we are only seeing 'air bubble' agreements," said Amit Taneja, Chief Commercial Officer at Cleartrip, a leading online booking platform in India. "But there are still restrictions around quarantines and so forth." (Air bubbles are temporary arrangements between countries to allow flights after COVID-19 broke out.) Leading airlines in the UAE and elsewhere are expected to bring out the 'digital passports' within weeks. These provide up-to-date information on the flier's health credentials related to COVID-19, and are provided to the airport authorities and airlines in advance. Brought out by IATA (International Air Transport Association), these digital passports are expected to smooth out the time required to go through the