AIR Austral (UU) has reinstated a direct connection between South Africa and Réunion Island this past weekend. From November 7, the airline will operate one weekly flight, on a Sunday. From December or January, frequencies will increase to three flights per week, on a Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.
The airline’s local office was excited about the destination’s reopening, and said the majority of pax booked onto the first flight, about 80%, were connecting to Mauritius.
UU has still managed to operate freight flights during the pandemic, local representatives said, and has brought back 10 flights per week to Paris, France. There are also two weekly flights between Réunion and Madagascar. UU hopes to add to increase frequencies soon.
Travellers from South Africa will need to obtain a French vaccine equivalency health pass by converting their local Covid-19 vaccine certificates. Health passes are required in order to access restaurants and other tourist activities on the island. The maximum cost will be €36 (approximately R626) Conversions can be done digitally, however, a working link was not available at the time of going to press. Alternatively, travellers can complete the process in person at pharmacies on arrival. More and more pharmacies are being set up to assist travellers in different parts of the island. Find more information here: www.sante.fr
Réunion Tourism confirmed: “The health pass (pass sanitaire) consists of the presentation of a vaccination certificate on the condition of having a complete vaccination scheme with a vaccine recognized by the European Medicines Agency or equivalent to these vaccines, a negative test certificate or a recovery certificate. It consists of a QR Code, in digital or paper format… [and] will need to present a passport and original vaccination certificate in paper format.
“These mandatory documents must include, in a legible way, the last name, first name, date of birth as well as the date of vaccination, the used vaccine, the number of doses injected and the country of vaccination.”
Entry requirements
Réunion Tourism Head of International Markets Development, Stephane Bonneau, confirmed that, to enter the destination from Johannesburg, travellers must produce a negative Covid-19 RT-PCR test taken 72 hours before departure from the first embarkation point, or a negative Covid-19 Antigen test taken at most 48 hours before departure from the first embarkation point. Only Antigen tests which detect specific protein N of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are accepted. This does not apply to passengers younger than 12 years old. Covid-19 tests are for passengers’ expense.
Passengers must also complete the self-declaration form at https://suivi.arslareunion-covid19.re/en
For passengers with a COVID-19 vaccination certificate and accompanying children younger than 18 years, the certificate must state that they received:
- the first vaccine dose of Janssen at least 28 days before arrival; or
- the second vaccine dose of AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Covishield, Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech at least seven days before arrival; or
- the first vaccine dose of AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Covishield, Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech at least seven days before arrival and a proof of previous infection with COVID-19.
Passengers not holding a COVID-19 vaccination certificate must apply for Travel Certificate (travelling for compelling reasons only) and must have a completed sworn statement, which can be obtained at https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/Actualites/L-actu-du-Ministere/Deplacements-entre-la-metropole-et-les-territoires-d-Outre-Mer
Entry conditions and regulations are also available here: https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/strategie_de_reouverture_des_frontieres_cle8ce6ca.pdf
