Etihad levels up regulations for flights to Shanghai

Etihad Airways beefed up its regulations for all passengers flying to Shanghai on Monday after six travelers on its flight EY862 from Abu Dhabi to Shanghai tested positive for COVID-19 on arrival at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport on August 3.

The six passengers, who are under quarantine at a medical facility in Shanghai, had completed mandatory PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing, exhibited no symptoms and provided negative result certificates for COVID-19 upon check-in, the airline said in a statement.

China's civil aviation authority has yet to announce whether the flight will be suspended according to regulations which took effect from June 1.

According to a reward and suspension mechanism, if the number of passengers testing positive reaches five, the airline's flights will be suspended for a week. The suspension will last four weeks if the number of passengers testing positive reaches 10.

If all inbound passengers of an airline test negative for the novel coronavirus for three weeks in a row, the operating airline will be allowed to increase the number of flights to two per week.

Etihad announced that all guests traveling to Shanghai will be required to show a negative COVID-19 PCR test result, issued within 48 hours of their departure from Abu Dhabi, or from their departure airport if they are transferring from another city via Abu Dhabi. This applies to all guests, including children and infants.

The PCR test must be carried out by a clinic recognized by the departure government or designated by the Chinese embassy in their departure country. If traveling from the UAE, the Etihad will only accept a COVID-19 PCR test result from Mediclinic and SEHA screening facilities.

If a passenger tests positive, he or she will not be permitted to travel. In such cases, Etihad will rebook their flight for free, or the guest can cancel the booking and use the value of the flight toward their next trip.

Before their flight, travelers must make sure that their contact details are up to date here, and also ensure they complete a health declaration form. A screenshot of the completed form must be presented at check-in – a paper copy will not be accepted, according to the airline.

Shanghai reported 18 new imported COVID-19 cases on Sunday. All of the imported cases are Chinese nationals flying from the United Arab Emirates.

Among them, three departed from the UAE on August 5 and arrived at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport the next day, while the others left the UAE and arrived in Shanghai via Sri Lanka on August 7.

So far, of all the 444 imported cases, 396 have been discharged upon recovery and 48 are still hospitalized.