Saudi Arabia to allow direct flights from India and 5 other nations from December 1

Post India’s announcement to resume scheduled international commercial flights from December 15, Saudi Arabia has made an announcement which will provide much needed relief to Indian travellers visiting the Gulf country. The General Civil Aviation Authority (GACA) of Saudi Arabia has announced the commencement of direct flights from India and five other nations effective December 1. Issuing a circular to all airlines operating at Saudi airports, GACA has instructed that all passengers and authorities will have to comply with necessary Covid-19 protocols. Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, Brazil, and Vietnam are the other nations apart from India who can operate direct flights to Saudi Arabia. This comes after the Saudi government announced lifting the ban on direct entry of travellers from these countries from Wednesday effective 1:00 am. (Gulf Standard Time) As per the circular, international travellers are not required to spend 14 days outside these six countries before entering the Kingdom, thus allowing convenient entry via direct flights. However, travellers will need to undergo five days of mandatory institutional quarantine, regardless of their immunisation status outside Saudi Arabia. GACA has asked all the airlines to inform their travellers about the guidelines and flight schedule apart from sensitising them about following all Covid-19 rules in Saudi Arabia and comply with all precautionary measures and preventive protocols strictly before and after entering the Kingdom.