Updated: July 16, 2020 10:16:03 pm
Hardeep Singh Puri. (Proceedings)
Announcing the resumption of international commercial flightsOn Thursday, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said India had established individual bilateral bubbles with France and the United States that would allow airlines in these countries to operate flights. Puri said that air bridges or air bubbles would be the way to resume international air travel amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Until international civil aviation can claim its pre-COVID numbers, I think the answer will be in bilateral air bubbles that will carry a possible number of people, but under defined conditions as countries continue to impose entry restrictions, including India, “he said.
The concept of airlifts is based on reciprocity with such countries which allow Indian citizens to fly to their borders and India allows its citizens to fly to its borders.
At a press conference, Puri said Air France will operate 28 flights between Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Paris from July 18 to August 1, while US airline United Airlines would fly 18 flights between India and the US from 17 as of July 31.
“They (United) are flying one daily flight between Delhi and Newark and one flight three times a week between Delhi and San Francisco,” said Puri.
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The minister also said that India planned to establish a bubble with the United Kingdom soon, under which there would be two flights a day between Delhi and London. “We are asking the German carriers to allow flights to India and we are processing it,” he said.
From India, Air India will operate flights to France and the United States under these bubbles. Scheduled international passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had on July 3 extended the ban on international flights until July 31 after it was suspended until July 15. According to senior government officials, the ban was extended because it was felt that India would need more time to prepare before it can resume scheduled international operations.
As of July 13, Air India and Air India Express operated 1,103 flights bringing 2,08,000 Indians under the Vande Bharat Mission. “On many of these flights, we carry 85,289 passengers to various countries around the world,” said Air India CMD Rajiv Bansal.
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Puri also said that for Diwali this year, at least 55-60 percent of pre-Covid domestic flights will be operating in India.
Domestic passenger flight services resumed in the country from May 25, two months after the announcement of the blockade and suspension of all scheduled commercial passenger flights in India.
Several countries that have already implemented these air bridges or travel bubbles they have done so on the basis of their perception of the destination country’s ability to handle the Covid pandemic19.
For example, New Zealand, which was able to contain the disease entirely, was establishing a trans-Tasman air bubble with other countries that had managed the spread of the virus. The three Baltic nations of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia had also established an air bubble between them.
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