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After a hiatus of nearly two years, India has decided to resume scheduled international flight services from March 27, in a move that will bring relief to passengers as well as the aviation and travel industry.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Tuesday said it has been decided to “resume scheduled commercial international passenger services to/from India from 27.03.2022, i.e the start of the Summer Schedule 2022. The suspension of scheduled commercial international passenger services to/from India, thus, stands extended only up to 2359 hrs IST on 26.03.2022 and air bubble arrangements shall accordingly be extended to this extent only.”
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia tweeted that the decision was taken after deliberations with stakeholders and keeping in view the decline in the Covid-19 caseload. “I’m confident the sector will reach new heights,” he added.
The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation had suspended operations of scheduled international flights on March 23, 2020, in the wake of the outbeak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, special flights have been operational between India and 37 countries in accordance with the air-bubble arrangements.
The Centre was earlier planning to resume scheduled international flights from December 15, but had to put off its plans due to the Omicron-led third wave.
Stating that there has been increased vaccination coverage across the globe, the Civil Aviation Ministry said international operations will be done in strict adherence to guidelines of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
Aviation and travel industry players welcomed the decision and said this will kick-start the hard-hit sector’s economic recovery process.
Ronojoy Dutta, whole-time Director and Chief Executive Officer, IndiGo said, “This step will provide impetus to the economic recovery for the sector and the nation, with borders opening for tourists. We look forward to connecting our customers to the people and places they love. We will soon be announcing the schedule for our international destinations, in accordance with these new guidelines.”
Aloke Bajpai, Co-founder & Group CEO, ixigo, said the resumption of international commercial travel flights will also regularise the demand-supply balance, resulting in lower international airfares. “The demand for international travel is picking up in India, and there has been a significant uptick in travel search queries for popular international destinations including Australia, Sri Lanka, the US and the UK. Travel search queries from India for Australian cities such as Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney have jumped 15-20 per cent this month. We are seeing a trend of travellers now eager to book long-haul destinations, fuelled by the opening of international borders and relaxation of rules across the globe,” he added.
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