Ban on incoming flights from India as of 18.00 on Monday 26 April

Please note: this news item was published on 24 April 2021. Read the current information about the flight ban to the Netherlands due to the coronavirus.
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From Monday 26 April 2021 at 18.00 there will be a ban on all incoming passenger flights from India. This was decided by the Dutch government. Passenger flights from India will be banned until at least 1 May 2021 at 00.01. The ban does not apply to cargo flights and flights carrying medical personnel.

Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Cora van Nieuwenhuizen introduced the ban at the direction of health minister Hugo de Jonge. Much remains unknown about the Indian mutations. The Dutch government wants to avoid the Netherlands becoming a main point of entry for passengers travelling to the European Union from India. The decision was taken in part at the urgent advice of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).

There is already an entry ban in place for non-EU residents. In addition, travellers from high-risk areas are subject to a double test requirement and are strongly advised to self-quarantine upon their arrival in the Netherlands. The ban on passenger flights is an additional precaution. Every week around seven flights from India arrive in the Netherlands. Most passengers on these flights transit through the Netherlands. Dutch nationals in India who are unable to return to the Netherlands are advised to find safe accommodation. There is currently also a ban on passenger flights to the Netherlands from South Africa and from countries in South America.