Passenger numbers flying to the UAE could soar back to pre-pandemic levels seen before covid, say experts, after government moves to end the pre-arrival PCR test for fully vaccinated travellers.
The UAE’s airlines dropping of their pre-arrival PCR requirement will lead to increased travel to the country, at a time when airfares are rising and the industry is still recovering from the economic impact of coronavirus, aviation industry experts told Arabian Business.
The National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) announced that from February 26 passengers who have the approved QR code proving their vaccination status will no longer have to have a PCR test prior to arrival. Unvaccinated passengers will still need to have a negative PCR test within 48 hours of arrival.
“The UAE has become the latest nation to pull back its pandemic entry restrictions at the right time. For fully vaccinated travellers from across the globe to visit the United Arab Emirates is going to be much more convenient – even for a longer stopover. It will boost the confidence to travel to Dubai for leisure or business,“ said Linus Bauer, founder and managing director, Bauer Aviation Advisory.
“Additionally, the good news will accelerate Dubai towards becoming a preferred global MICE destination for business travellers during and after the post-Omicron recovery,” said Linus Bauer, founder and managing director, Bauer Aviation Advisory.“
“In times of rising airfares linked to increasing jet fuel prices, the removal of the PCR test mandate will be a financial relief for fully vaccinated travellers. With the support of the ongoing vaccine rollout and removal of strict entry requirements in various parts of the world including the UAE, we expect airfare will keep rising from March onwards, reaching similar pre-pandemic levels.
“Between March and August, airfares for international flights are expected to increase by 4 percent on average each month, leading to an overall increase of 24 percent in airfares in August, the peak of the busy summer period in the Northern Hemisphere,” he continued.
Easing restrictions on PCR testing
On Monday, Oman became the latest GCC country to lift the pre-entry PCR requirement, joining the UAE and Bahrain in the easing of Covid-19 related restrictions.
“For the past two years, travel to the UAE has been just 37 percent of what it was before the Covid-19 outbreak. Throughout the pandemic, we have watched a seesaw oscillating under the pressure of pent-up demand to travel on one side and heavy travel restrictions to contain the spread of Covid-19 and the emergence of new variants on the other,” said Olivier Ponti, VP Insights, ForwardKeys, a flight analytics firm.
“The requirement to take a PCR test has been a massive deterrent to travel in two respects. First is the degree of uncertainty it injects into anyone’s travel plans; second is the cost, which can amount to well over $1,000 for a family of four, if testing is required in both directions.
“As of 1st March, flight bookings for travel to the UAE in March, April and May stood at 76 percent of pre-pandemic levels. I expect that this news could help them climb to near pre-pandemic levels, considering bookings for arrivals in March are currently at 80 percent of 2019 levels already,” he continued.
This comes in as, nationwide, regulations have been relaxed too for close contacts of those with covid, with quarantine now no longer necessary, however state employees who are close contact must take daily PCR tests for five days.
Those who test positive will still have to quarantine but measures such as the tracking wristband used in the capital Abu Dhabi will no longer be needed.
NCEMA also announced that while mask-wearing is mandatory in public indoor spaces it was now ‘optional outdoors’.
In Dubai, the Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management also announced that the wearing of masks continues to be mandatory in all public indoor venues in the emirate, while it is optional in outdoor areas.
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