India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation has re-activated its Air Suvidha portal—renamed “Air Suvidha 2.0”—requiring all passengers flying in from the UAE (and other countries) to complete an online self-declaration no earlier than 24 hours before arrival. The step, highlighted in a UAE travel advisory on 15 July, responds to the WHO’s declaration of the Ebola/Bundibugyo outbreak in DR Congo and Uganda as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Travellers must upload basic contact details, travel history for the previous 21 days and a commitment to self-monitoring. No paper print-out is needed; passengers simply display the QR code on their phones at Indian immigration counters. Airlines operating UAE–India sectors—including Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Air India Express—have incorporated the requirement into online check-in workflows and warn that passengers who do not complete the form may be denied boarding. For mobility teams managing high-volume UAE–India rotations, the change revives pandemic-era compliance tasks. Practical tips include adding the portal link to automated itinerary e-mails, scheduling a reminder 30 hours before departure, and keeping screenshots of completed forms in case of app outages. Though health experts view the Ebola risk for India as low, authorities say the digital form provides rapid contact tracing capability should an imported case arise. The ministry will review the requirement every two weeks based on global outbreak data.
Source: Gulf News
