Portuguese Embassy in Maputo announces return support flights
The first flight will depart from Lisbon on Friday, December 3rd, arriving on Saturday in Maputo, from where it will connect to Lisbon on that day, December 4th.
The second connection leaves the Portuguese capital on Sunday, December 5th, landing in Maputo on Monday, the 6th, flying on that day to Lisbon.
“Subsequently, additional flights of this nature will be organized, as needed,” adds the embassy.
The flights serve to support the return in both directions, after the Member States of the European Union (EU) have decided to temporarily suspend air connections with seven countries in southern Africa, including Mozambique, due to the identification of the Omicron variant of the covid- 19 in South Africa.
Passengers with Portuguese nationality, holders of a residence permit in Portugal and EU citizens, Schengen Associated States and members of their respective families can board the Maputo – Lisbon flight.
They can also board third countries with legal residence in an EU Member State, in transit to the country of origin or legal residence, in addition to others that fall into humanitarian situations.
The reservation must 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 anyone who has “difficulty in making a reservation” and has “proven urgency in traveling , for serious health reasons or permanent departure from the country”.
On flights to Lisbon, all passengers, vaccinated or not, must have a negative result of an RT-PCR test or similar nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT).
“The test must be carried out within 72 hours of departure”, and as an alternative, passengers can have “an antigen test (TRAg) up to 48 hours before departure”.
Exceptions to the mandatory submission of covid-19 tests are available to holders of an EU covid-19 digital certificate of recovery, valid for 180 days, as well as children under the age of 12 years.
“Passengers on flights originating in Mozambique and those who, regardless of origin, destination in Mozambique, South Africa, Botswana, Essuatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe in the 14 days prior to their arrival in Portugal, must undergo a period of isolation 14 days prophylactic on arrival, at home or in a place indicated by health authorities, “adds the embassy.
Upon arrival in Portugal, all passengers will be forwarded to “their own location inside the airport for the purpose of carrying out a new nucleic acid amplification test (TAAN) or rapid antigen test (TRAg), to screen for SARS- CoV-2 and subsequent genomic sequencing, as well as for determination of prophylactic isolation by health authorities,” concludes an embassy.