Etihad has announced that it will begin inbound flights to Abu Dhabi this week, allowing residents to return home. From Saturday, May 9, the airline will be operating a limited number of one-way flights to the capital from major cities around the world, including Amsterdam, London and Tokyo. Until now, airlines in the UAE have been operating repatriation flights in conjunction with authorities and embassies, but this is the first time a list of bookable flights has been made public. All flights have been approved by the UAE government and any passengers wishing to book onto an inbound flight will require pre-approval via the <a href="https://www.mofaic.gov.ae/en/Services/Twajudi-Resident">UAE Twajudi Resident service</a>. There, you will be asked to <a href="https://beta.smartservices.ica.gov.ae/echannels/web/client/guest/index.html#/issueResidentEntryPermission/request/708/step1?administrativeRegionId=1&withException=false">fill out a form</a> providing your information and the date on which you wish to return to the UAE. All successful applicants will then be contacted and provided with a unique ICA approval number, which will be required when booking onto any of the flights. Residents should not try to book a flight before obtaining this number. All passengers must also hold a valid UAE residency visa. The airline has introduced a number of strict safety measures for all passengers travelling and upon reaching Abu Dhabi, they will need to undertake PCR and thermal testing, and will be required to self-isolate for 14 days. <strong>Amsterdam </strong>(EY78)<strong>:</strong> 13, 15, 20, 22, 27 and 29 May <strong>Barcelona </strong>(EY50): 14, 17, 24 and 31 May <strong>Frankfurt </strong>(EY8): 17, 24 and 31 May <strong>Jakarta </strong>(EY475): 15 and 29 May <strong>Kuala Lumpur </strong>(EY411)<strong>:</strong> 23 and 30 May <strong>London </strong>(EY20)<strong>:</strong> 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, 27 and 30-May <strong>Manila </strong>(EY423)<strong>:</strong> 13, 15, 16, 20, 22, 23, 27, 29 and 30 May <strong>Melbourne </strong>(EY463)<strong>:</strong> 13, 20 and 27 May <strong>Seoul </strong>(EY873)<strong>:</strong> 22 and 29 May <strong>Singapore </strong>(EY473)<strong>:</strong> 20 and 27 May <strong>Tokyo </strong>(EY871)<strong>:</strong> 20 and 27 May <strong>Toronto </strong>(EY140)<strong>:</strong> 12 May "Etihad continues to follow UAE and international government, regulatory and health authority directives, and is playing its part in helping to limit the spread of Covid-19," a spokesperson for the airline said. "The airline has implemented an extensive sanitisation and customer safety programme and is practicing the highest standards of hygiene at every part of the customer journey. This includes catering, aircraft and cabin deep-cleaning, check-in, health screening, boarding, inflight, crew interaction, meal service, disembarkation and ground transportation, among others." Commercial passenger flights in and out of Dubai and Abu Dhabi were grounded on March 24, but UAE airlines have been operating outbound repatriation flights for those in the country trying to get home over the past week. Etihad plans to gradually restart all of its passenger flights after June 16 as more restrictions lift globally.
