On 8th March, the Civil Aviation Ministry announced that regular international flight operations can resume from March 27. “After having recognized the increased vaccination coverage across the globe and in consultation with the stakeholders, the Government of India has decided to resume scheduled commercial international passenger services to/from India from 27.03.2022, i.e. start of Summer Schedule 2022. The suspension of scheduled commercial international passenger services to/from India, thus, stands extended only upto 2359 hrs IST on 26.03.2022 and air bubble arrangements shall accordingly be extended to this extent only,” the ministry said in a statement.
Earlier on February 28, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) extended the ban on regular international flights, until further orders. However, the DGCA said that the flights that are operational under air bubble arrangements, as well as international cargo flights, will continue to operate as scheduled.
The Scheduled international flight services have remained suspended in India since March 23, 2020. However, special international flights have been operating between India and about 35 other countries since July 2020 under air bubble arrangements. India currently has air transport bubbles with 40 countries, including Canada, France, Germany, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the US.
The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) has welcomed this move and expressed its sincere gratitude to the Government of India for this decision. Rajiv Mehra, President, IATO, said, “Even though the decision was on the cards, still it is a big relief for the entire travel and tourism fraternity and we look forward to the revival of international tourism in the country. Further to enhance the foreign tourist flow to the country, we urge the government to restore all visas that were issued earlier but were suspended due to pandemic.”
He also appealed to the government to resume multiple entry visas and e-visa for the countries which have been barred particularly from the source markets like the UK, Canada, etc. “We also request the Government to extend the validity of free Tourist Visa till 31st March 2024 without capping of 5 lakh free tourist visas,” Mehra added.
INDUSTRY FEEDBACK
MP Bezbaruah, Secretary-General, Hotel Association of India (HAI) said, “The industry is grateful to the Civil Aviation Ministry and continues to remain optimistic. It will be a milestone in the process of tourism recovery. The growth curve can only spiral upwards from here.”
“Global travel will become easier as the regular commercial international flights resume later this month,” said Ankush Nijhawan, Joint MD of TBO TEK Limited “Today’s announcement to resume international passenger flights is a welcome move for domestic and international travelers who have been waiting for a long time to make travel plans. We are pleased that these measures will once again give a big boost to foreign tourism in the country.”
Aloke Bajpai, Co-founder and Group CEO of ixigo called this announcement as great news for all travelers and the industry, especially before the peak summer season. He pointed out that 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 like Australia, Sri Lanka, the US, and the UK.
“Travel search queries from India for Australian cities like Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney have jumped 15-20% this month. We are seeing a trend of travelers now eager to book long-haul destinations, fueled by international borders reopening and relaxation of rules across the globe. Resumption of international commercial flights will also regularize the demand-supply balance resulting in lower international airfares,” Bajpai added.
