New Delhi: Spice  Jet said on Saturday it will operate flights from four Indian cities to Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE between July 12 and July 26 for eligible "ICA-approved UAE residents".

The ICA stands for the UAE's Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship. A passenger having a valid residency permit of the UAE needs to take ICA approval before taking any flight to enter that country.

In a press statement, the airline said it will operate flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Kozhikode and Kochi to the UAE

"These flights will carry only those passengers who are destined for the UAE. From the Ras Al-Khaimah airport, SpiceJet will also be providing coaches, free of cost, for passengers travelling to Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi," it said.

India suspended all scheduled international passenger flights on March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Many Indian nationals who have valid residence permits of the UAE and are currently in India have been complaining on social media for the last few weeks about the lack of flights between the two countries.

The Civil Aviation Ministry had on July 9 announced on Twitter, "As part of the close strategic partnership between the governments of India and the UAE, and with a view to assisting UAE resident nationals who are at present in India to return to the UAE, the civil aviation authorities of both countries have agreed to operationalise the following arrangement from 12 July 2020."

Charter flights operated by UAE carriers will now be permitted to bring Indian citizens from the UAE to India and carry ''ICA-approved UAE residents'' on their return leg, the ministry said.

On India to UAE journeys, all these flights will carry only those passengers who are destined for the Gulf country, it noted.

The ministry also said, "Indian carriers operating repatriation flights to bring Indian citizens from UAE to India will be allowed to carry the ICA-approved UAE residents (returning to UAE from India) on the outward journey from India to UAE .

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Wayanad(Kerala), Nov 23: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Saturday cruised to her maiden electoral victory, from the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, with a margin of over 4.1 lakh votes against CPI(M)-led LDF's Sathyan Mokeri, according to figures released by the Election Commission.

Priyanka got 6,22,338 votes which was less than the 6,47,445 votes received by her brother Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha polls in Wayanad in April this year, but her victory margin of 4,10,931 was more than his lead of 3,64,422 votes, despite the decline in turnout in the Wayanad bypoll.

The LS poll turnout in Wayanad, which has over 14 lakh registered voters, was close to 74 per cent in April, but had declined to 65 per cent in the by-election in November.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Wayanad, CPI's Annie Raja had secured second place with 2,83,023 votes, while BJP's K. Surendran finished third with 1,41,045 votes.

However, both fronts were unable to replicate their performance in the bypoll, despite a reduced voter turnout in the hill constituency.

Mokeri got 2,11,407 and BJP-led NDA's Navya Haridas came third with 1,09,939 votes.

Close to the announcement of the final counting results, Priyanka, in a post on social media platform X, thanked the people of Wayanad for electing her as their representative to the Parliament.

"My dearest sisters and brothers of Wayanad, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the trust you have placed in me. I will make sure that over time, you truly feel this victory has been your victory and the person you chose to represent you understands your hopes and dreams and fights for you as one of your own. I look forward to being your voice in Parliament!

"Thank you for giving me this honour and even more for the immense love you have given me," she said.

In her post, Priyanka also thanked her colleagues in the UDF, leaders from across Kerala, workers, volunteers and everyone else who supported her and worked "incredibly hard" in her poll campaign, by "tolerating" her "12 hour a day (no food, no rest) car journeys, and for fighting like true soldiers for the ideals we all believe in".

"To my mother, Robert and my two jewels- Raihan and Miraya, no gratitude is ever enough for the love and courage you give me. And to my brother, Rahul, you are the bravest of them all… thank you for showing me the way and having my back, always," she said in her post on X.