New arrival rules at Indian airports from Today
International travelers arriving at Indian airports from the Middle East, Europe and the United Kingdom have been advised by the country’s ministry of civil aviation here to brace for longer wait times from Tuesday (Feb. 23).
This is in view of more stringent rules being introduced at entry points to minimize the risk of importation of new, mutant strains of coronavirus.
Airlines operating flights into India have been advised that effective Tuesday, they should keep passengers informed about the need for the transit time of a minimum of six to eight hours at their airports of entry for connecting domestic flights.
From Tuesday, all international travelers transiting on flights from the Middle East, the UK and Europe are also required to declare their travel history of the previous 14 days in a self-declaration form at the Delhi airport portal before the scheduled travel.
The wide-ranging new rules require airlines to identify international travelers arriving from or transiting through the UK, Brazil and South Africa and segregate them in-flight or while disembarking to enable the authorities to follow the protocols in respect of countries with mutant and more contagious strains of coronavirus.
Travelers from the UK, Brazil and South Africa who are found negative upon being tested at the airport shall be allowed to take their connecting flights followed by quarantine at home for a week at their final destination. These travelers shall be tested after seven days and if negative, released from quarantine, with their health monitored for a further seven days.
Other requirements from arriving passengers such as a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR report of 72 hours validity which has been in force since India allowed a limited resumption of international flights in August last year shall continue to be enforced, the ministry said.
