After two years, international flight operations from India are set to resume from March 27.
The flights will follow all the standard operating procedures effective with Indian airports for foreign arrivals and departures. The Ministry of Civil Aviation said that international operations would be subject to strict adherence to Union Health Ministry guidelines issued on February 10.
Due to the outbreak of Covid-19, scheduled international flight services were suspended on March 23, 2020. However, special international flights have been operating between India and 37 other countries under an air bubble since July 2020.
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced the decision for the regular resumption of international flights on March 13. “I have already given a direction that restrictions on international flights, which were imposed due to Covid-19, be lifted,” he had said on the sidelines of an event in Indore. “The international flight services would be fully restored from March 27 as they were before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic,” he added.
Regular air services are being resumed following a significant decline in coronavirus cases in the country. After the first pandemic wave, the Government had suspended the scheduled international flight services. It started to operate flights under air bubble agreements and Vande Bharat Mission from July 2020 onwards.
India currently has an agreement with 37 countries under air bubble arrangements. An air bubble is a unique bridge between two countries to provide seamless travel to the flyers in situations like pandemics or war.
Welcoming the Government announcement regarding the resumption of international flights, Amitabh Khosla, India Country Director of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), said, “This will support the aviation and travel sectors, the economy, and satisfy the demand for air travel.”
As a next step, he said, “We urge the Government to consider extending the relaxation in rules for international travel to passengers from all remaining countries. This will allow India to maximize the benefits that aviation can bring to the economy.”
According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Indian airlines and airports have suffered a loss of about 20 thousand crore rupees due to the Covid-19 pandemic during the financial year 2020-21. At the same time, the companies operating the airports have also suffered a loss of more than Rs 5,000 crore.
Subhash Goyal, President of STIC Travel Group and Confederation of Tourism Professionals, told a news channel recently that the travel and hospitality industry contributes about 10 percent to the Government’s total tax collection. In 2019, he said it earned $30 billion from foreign travelers alone. About 25 million Indians went abroad, while 11 million foreigners came to India during the year. In this way, he added that about 60 to 65 billion dollars had been lost in the last two years due to the closure of international flights.
