Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Portuguese embassy in Maputo on Tuesday announced two more return flights on the route Lisbon – Maputo – Lisbon, operated by TAP.
The first flight will depart Lisbon for Maputo on Tuesday 14 December, and the second connection will leave the Mozambican capital on Thursday 16 December for Lisbon.
As announced in previous statements, additional flights of this nature will subsequently be organised according to need, the embassy added.
The flights serve as two-way return support after European Union (EU) member states decided to suspend air links with seven southern African countries, including Mozambique, due to the spread of the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus.
The Maputo – Lisbon flight is open to passengers with Portuguese nationality, holders of residence permits in Portugal and EU nationals, Schengen area states and members of their families.
Also allowed on board are third-country nationals legally residing in an EU member state, in transit to their country of origin or legal residence, as well as others who fall under humanitarian situations.
Reservations should be made directly with TAP, but the Consulate General of Portugal in Maputo, as well as the Consulate General in Beira, are available for contacts by those who have difficulty in making their reservation and have proven urgency in travel for serious health reasons or definitive departure from the country.
All passengers, vaccinated or not, will have to present a negative RT-PCR or similar nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) result on flights to Lisbon.
“The test must be performed no later than 72 hours before departure”, with passengers alternatively being allowed to have an antigen test (TRAg) no later than 48 hours before departure.
Enjoying exceptions to the requirement to submit covid tests are holders of an EU digital Covid certificate of recovery, valid for 180 days, as well as children under the age of 12.
“Passengers on flights originating in Mozambique and those who, regardless of origin, have been in Mozambique, South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe in the 14 days before their arrival in Portugal, must comply with a prophylactic isolation period of 14 days on arrival, at home or a place indicated by the health authorities,” the embassy added.
On arrival in Portugal, all passengers will be taken to a special location inside the airport to undergo a new nucleic acid amplification test (TAAN) or rapid antigen test (TRAg) to screen for SARS-CoV-2 infection and subsequent genomic sequencing, as well as for determination of prophylactic isolation by the health authorities, the embassy said.
