Dubai is now a Pfizer destination for rich Indians | Economic Times

Rich Indians with Dubai resident visas are taking a vaccine vacation in Dubai. Chartered flights are doing brisk business. The vaccine of choice for these vacationers is Pfizer’s, though AstraZeneca and Sinopharm are also available in UAE.The trend started in March, when Dubai allowed resident visa holders to register for vaccines, and has picked up in April, as the Covid-19 scenario in India has turned grimmer. The UAE is vaccinating people aged 40 years or more, that too at no cost.People familiar with the issue, including those who have taken shots in Dubai and charter operators, said some visitors are staying in Dubai for the period necessary to take two shots, while others are making two trips. The gap between two Pfizer shots should be three weeks.Some people who spoke to ET for the story did so off the record.The cost of such a vaccine vacation in Dubai, including a round trip in a small jet, varies from Rs 35 lakh to Rs lakh per head but may be more, depending on the operator’s prices, the city of origin, the duration of stay and the number of passengers.Typically, Indians who have businesses registered in Dubai have resident visas. The UAE offers resident visas for some professional categories, for those with local businesses, those who buy properties and for those who invest above a threshold amount.A top corporate manager with a Dubai resident visa, who asked not to be named, took the Pfizer vaccine in March. He was eligible for a jab in India too but said, “I felt the Pfizer vaccine was better tested and safer. My wife and I took a private jet and stayed in Dubai for 20 days post that. Everything went well.”15-20% More Jet Bookings“A few friends have done likewise. We are going again in a few days for our second shot,” the corporate manager added.A business leader who didn’t want to be named said he and his friends stayed for a month to take both shots. They all have Dubai resident visas. “The gap between the two doses is three weeks. There is a quarantine of 10 days in Dubai and we are tested on day one and eight. To avoid the multiple quarantines, etc we returned fully vaccinated to India,” he said.Most private jet operators say there has been a 15-20% increase in bookings from Dubai resident visa holders since March, especially from Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru.“We have chartered two aircraft to Dubai, where clients are flying specially to take the Pfizer vaccine,” said Shanil Desai, director, Jetfleet Aviation. “They usually stay for 10-15 days and some, even for a month. Many of those eligible find the vaccine safer and they are going in couples.”Sachit Wadhwa, cofounder of Bookmycharter, said a large number of private jets and charters have taken off to Dubai in the last month, though he could not say how many were planning to take vaccines there.Tapish Khivensra, founder and chief executive, Enthral Aviation, has daily flights to Dubai with high occupancy. “We are not getting vaccine queries as such, but many have gone to Dubai and the UAE in the last month,” he said.A charter flight provider who has one flight every week that takes Dubai resident visa holders there to get the vaccine, said, “This service is for special customers. They are part of the same social circle so news has spread that this is an option. The trip becomes a medical-cum-recreation outing for a fortnight or month. We’ve had three ‘all-boys’ flights in the last 40 days. It’s four to six friends headed together to get the vaccine and vacation together, sans family.”Rajesh Sahu, founder of Aurea Aviation, said he has seen a number of Dubai resident visa holders fly to the city recently. “We don’t know the purpose of the trip. No one says they are going to take the vaccine. But on the two or three charters we fly in a week to Dubai, at least four out of the eight, if not more, generally hold a Dubai resident visa. That number is always greater than those on a tourist visa,” he said.The other, very Indian, practice is for these jets to land in smaller cities on the return trip to India – in Lucknow for Delhi residents, in Ahmedabad for Mumbai residents and in Hyderabad for Bengaluru residents. This, so returnees can avoid the more elaborate quarantine requirements in larger airports.“We are fully vaccinated when we return…so not a danger to others,” another corporate boss said, off the record.