Special arrangements at Hyderabad Airport for passengers from at-risk countries

The airport operator on Monday said they have made all the necessary arrangements as per the latest guidelines issued by the Government of India.

The Centre issued a fresh travel advisory following a rise in cases of infection by a new strain Omicron.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia informed Parliament last week that 11 countries  the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Israel  have been placed in the 'at-risk' category.

Hyderabad International Airport has 12 flights in a week from at-risk nations. British Airways operates three weekly direct flights while Air India operates two weekly direct flights to London. Singapore Airlines operates thrice a week while Scoot operates four weekly direct flights to Singapore.

GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL), the airport operator, said as of December 5, a total of 1,443 passengers have arrived from at-risk countries. Thirteen passengers, who tested positive, were taken to Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences (TIMS) at Gachibowli.

GHIAL has set up dedicated Covid-19 testing booths at the international arrival hall pre-immigration. Thermal scanners have been installed at all arrival gates. All passengers must go through the thermal screening process upon arrival.

For ease and convenience of passengers who have to undergo RT-PCR / Rapid PCR, adequate communication literature is enabled across the terminal. Appropriate signages are placed at strategic locations to guide passengers, GHIAL said.

The airport has also enabled a pre booking process for the passengers. Passengers can also pre book the test prior to the arrival, the link for which is available on the Hyderabad International Airport website www.hyderabad.aero and the designated lab's websiteAhttp://covid.mapmygenome.in.

The RT-PCR test costs Rs 750 with wait time for the result being six hours, while the Rapid PCR test costs Rs 3,900 with wait time for the result being two hours. Information has also been shared on the GHIAL social media platforms.

GHIAL has set up dedicated counters for passengers who have pre-booked their RT-PCR/Rapid PCR tests. There will be dedicated queues for these passengers. They will save the time taken for registration and will proceed directly for testing.

A dedicated waiting area with adequate seating arrangements for the arriving passengers and facilities of F & B, Forex exchange, payment counters are taken care of given the wait time for the test results.

Additional waiting area with all necessary facilities is also arranged for passengers with reduced mobility, the airport operator added.

In order to assist and help with adequate manpower resources, GHIAL has extended support to the Airport Health Officer (APHO) and the State Health department, Passenger Service Associates have additionally been deputed (PSA) to help with documentation check during arrivals.