The Portuguese government, through its embassy in Maputo, announced this Tuesday two more return flights on the route Lisbon - Maputo - Lisbon.

Operated by the Portuguese Air Carrier (TAP), the first flight will leave Lisbon for Maputo on Tuesday, December 14, and the second connection will leave Maputo on Thursday, December 16, bound for Lisbon.

"The flights are in support of a two-way return after European Union (EU) member states decided to suspend air links with seven southern African countries, including Mozambique, due to the spread of the Ómicron variant of the covid-19 virus," the embassy said in a statement.

According to the note from the embassy, passengers with Portuguese nationality, holders of residence permits in Portugal and nationals of the EU, states associated with the Schengen Area and members of their families can board the Maputo - Lisbon flight.

In the meantime, the reservation 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.

To this end, according to the Portuguese government, on flights to Lisbon, all passengers, vaccinated or not, will have to present a negative RT-PCR or similar nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) result, and the test must be performed within 72 hours before departure.

Meanwhile, the embassy adds that, "passengers on flights originating in Mozambique and those who, regardless of origin, have been in Mozambique, South Africa, Botswana, Essuatini, Lesotho, Namibia, and Zimbabwe in the 14 days prior to their arrival in Portugal, must comply with a prophylactic isolation period of 14 days upon arrival, at home or at a place indicated by the health authorities.

However, the Portuguese government reiterates that additional flights of this nature will be arranged according to need.