India-UAE travel suspension: New rules for charter flights

India-UAE travel suspension: New rules for charter flights

Effective immediately, no more than eight passengers will be allowed onboard business jet charter flights from India to the UAE, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has announced. The authority rolled out revisions to its existing travel regulations on May 8 via a safety decision circular, a copy of which Khaleej Times has seen. Depending on the size of the aircraft, business jets can accommodate anything between six to 35 passengers. However, irrespective of the size of the charter, the requirements for business aircraft or small-body private jets clearly state that the number of passengers on board a flight cannot be more than eight passengers. Days after the government of UAE announced an indefinite extension of the suspension of flights from India, the demand for private jet bookings soared, according to agents. As per new regulations, a single India-UAE ticket on board a private jet could cost anything between Dh22,000 to Dh25,000 in comparison to the previous Dh13,000 to Dh16,000, private jet operators and travel agents told Khaleej Times. GCAA has said that, while applying for pre-travel approvals, the flight plan must be submitted with additional information, including the aircraft passenger configuration and the number of passengers on board. An