Middle East Desk
Report
Dubai: Over 180 passengers travelling on tourist visas to Dubai have been stranded at Dubai International Airport since Tuesday as they did not fulfil certain entry requirements, an airline official told Gulf News on Wednesday.
Shahid Mughal, regional manager of Pakistan International Airline (PIA) in the UAE, said the passengers had arrived after the airline received instructions from local authorities about implementing the requirements, According to the instructions, passengers travelling to Dubai on visit or tourist visas are required to have funds of at least Dh2000 and hotel booking or relative’s reference to show their place of stay during their visit.
“We received a circular from the local immigration authorities yesterday. Visitors on tourist visas have to show they have Dh2,000 {to support their stay} and hotel booking or prove they have relatives whom they are visiting.”
He said over 180 passengers, who arrived from Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar, were not allowed entry since they had not fulfilled these entry requirements.
“PIA team and a team from the Consulate General of Pakistan are in touch with the local authorities to see if they will be allowed to leave the airport,” he said. The official confirmed that the airline has started strictly implementing the rule and is currently not allowing non-compliant passengers to board the flights to Dubai.
“We have instructed the policy to our teams and will make sure those who are not fulfilling the requirements will not be allowed to board,” he added.
When contacted, a consulate official told Gulf News that the did not know about any new requirements for tourists. “We are trying to sort out the issue as soon as possible,” he said.
