Following the UAE government’s authorisation of passenger flights to South Africa, Etihad Airways has announced that flights between Abu Dhabi and Johannesburg will resume on March 3rd.
Etihad’s office in Johannesburg closed in December 2020, after terminating its flights to South African destinations in October of that year.
Etihad said in October of last year that it would resume flights to Johannesburg in November 2021.
South Africa’s discovery of the Omicron variety late last year resulted in a series of additional travel bans and restrictions being imposed on various nations in southern Africa.
These travel and flight bans resulted in Emirates Airlines and Etihad Airways having to suspend all flights to destinations in the southern African region for an extended period.
UAE EASES RESTRICTIONS
The UAE recently lifted the restrictions on the 12 countries which had been subject to flight and travel bans since November last year as a result of the detection of the Omicron variant.
The countries included Botswana, Congo Republic, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
ETIHAD RETURNS TO South Africa
Etihad will resume flights to Johannesburg on 3 March.
The airline will offer three flights a week on the route.
Passengers transiting in Abu Dhabi will be subject to the restrictions and travel rules of their final destinations.
Passengers entering the UAE must have a certificate of proof of a negative PCR test taken within 48 hours of departure.
They will also require a negative rapid PCR test taken within six hours before departure. They then must take a further PCR test upon arrival in Abu Dhabi.