The IATA Agents Association of India has requested Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express to provide ticketing facilities to accredited travel agents in the country and make them a part of the Vande Bharat mission.

The provision to issue tickets in India will be a blessing for many of the Indians stranded in foreign countries with out jobs and money to buy air tickets and will enable them get help from their families or relatives in India. Many such families are in constant touch with travel agencies looking for a provision to send air tickets to bring back their relatives. This will also help outbound passengers travelling from India to foreign countries, as many are clueless of a way out, said Biji Eapen, national president, IAAI.

He pointed out that travel agencies play a vital role in promoting the airline’s market share. Eighty per cent of the industry’s tickets are sold by agents, who always support Air India and AIE.

Under the new norms, both the airlines can grant special permissions to all authorised travel agents in the UAE to take part in the evacuation programme. Travel agents in the UAE are now allowed to issue tickets for Indian nationals who have registered on the website of the Indian Consulates and fulfill the required entry conditions and desires to be repatriated by Vande Bharat Mission flights to India, he said.

According to Jose Abraham, global president of the Pravasi Legal Cell, facilities to issue tickets from India will be a great relief and support to many of the Indian communities stranded abroad without job and money. He requested concerned authorities to take appropriate steps to implement the process urgently.

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