REUTERS
European borders for foreign tourists remain closed at least until the end of June.
Ukraine is resuming international flights on June 15.
International flights of various airlines are already on the airports' scoreboards, while websites for booking offer tickets abroad.
Yet, some flights have been canceled so far, while some airlines have already announced they are suspending ticket sales, according to the Ukrainian TSN news service.
Ukrainians should not be in a hurry since now it is not enough just to have a ticket to spend a holiday in Cyprus, for example, or travel around Germany, TSN said.
Firstly, European borders for foreign tourists remain closed at least until the end of June, and, therefore, the Ukrainians may only hope for permission to freely enter the EU countries from July 1.
Secondly, not all borders will reopen simultaneously. No one may predict when exactly this happens. In addition, much will depend on the epidemic situation in Ukraine.
If a ticket has already been bought, there is a risk of losing money since now the airlines adhere to a strict rule: if an airport requires a visa – and this is the requirement of the EU countries now, the carrier cannot allow passengers to board without it because it could be fined.
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At the same time, airlines are not obliged to return money to passengers who do not adhere to visa requirements, because the flight has taken place, it has not been canceled. Change in the requirements is passengers' problem.
If a passenger is allowed to board, he or she still have reasons to worry, because even if they successfully get to their destination, there is no guarantee their vacation has already begun. Travelers may be placed in quarantine or undergo mandatory COVID-19 tests. In Greece, for example, a seven-day quarantine is mandatory even after a negative test result. And all additional costs are paid by tourists.
If a person still decides to fly, before leaving for the airport he or she needs to make sure that everyone with whom they go on a trip is healthy and the documents meet all the requirements. People should also keep in mind they may bid farewell to relatives only at the terminal doors. Only passengers and staff will be able to get to the airport and only after body temperature screening.
Everyone should wear face masks at the airport and during the trip. Also, it is better to have gloves with a bottle of hand sanitizer (up to 100 ml) during the trip.
The requirement to keep distance remains unchanged. Registration should be handled online, and boarding should be contactless. An information form from the airline about the state of health is also advised to be filled out in advance.
Moreover, passengers could be asked to register carry-on bags as checked luggage. Duty Free outlets, most likely, will not work either at airports or on board the plane. However, the carriers promise to provide passengers with drinking water.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers adopted a resolution on reopening border checkpoints at the country's international airports from June 15.
According to the document, checkpoints and control points will resume servicing international flights with new criteria introduced for foreigners crossing the border.
Foreigners who are not citizens of countries with a significant spread of COVID-19 and have not been to such countries for the past 14 days will be let in Ukraine.
Ukrainian citizens from June 15 will be able to travel to Albania and the United States (without restrictions at the border), the United Kingdom (subject to a 14-day quarantine upon arrival), Turkey (without restrictions at the border, but with testing upon arrival, and Tunisia (from June 27, with testing upon arrival).
Moreover, after the epidemic situation in Ukraine stabilizes, the government will consider the relaunch of air travel with Cyprus, Montenegro, Georgia, and Greece starting from July 1.