Flying to India from Oman? Take note of new guidelines for air travel

Flying to India from Oman? Take note of new guidelines for air travel

Among the protocols issued by the Health Ministry is randomly testing of 2 percent of total passengers in a flight, post arrival. Such travellers, preferably from different countries, will be identified by the airlines.

Muscat: In view of the growing concern regarding the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday released a fresh set of guidelines for international arrivals in flights to India.

The guidelines came into effect from 10am (Indian Standard Time) on December 24, Saturday.

Among the protocols issued by the Health Ministry is randomly testing of 2 percent of total passengers in a flight, post arrival. Such travellers, preferably from different countries, will be identified by the airlines.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Friday said that airlines' crew members will have to bring such identified passengers to the testing facility at the airport.

"The airport operators would create necessary infrastructure to facilitate random testing of international arriving passengers at their respective airports," the communication said.

Travellers will submit their samples and be allowed to leave the airport thereafter. If a traveller tests positive, their sample will be sent for further genomic sequencing and they will be isolated/ treated as per protocol.

The communication has been sent to