New Delhi, March 27
Regular international flights resumed on Sunday after a coronavirus pandemic-induced hiatus of approximately two years, with Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia calling it a “very important day”.
India had banned scheduled international flights on March 23, 2020. During the last two years, limited international passenger flights were operating between India and select countries under bilateral air bubble arrangements.
Battered by the pandemic, the airline industry is slowly coming back to normalcy and the resumption of normal overseas flights is expected to provide a fillip to the sector.
On March 8, the Civil Aviation Ministry announced that regular overseas flights would resume from March 27 amid a decline in coronavirus cases. It also relaxed various Covid-19 guidelines.
Talking to reporters in Gwalior on Sunday, Scindia said, “Today is a very important day…All regular international flights services resumed with full capacity from today. During the last two years of the coronavirus pandemic, the international flights were being operated under the air bubble arrangements.”
He said he was confident that people from India are eager to go abroad and vice versa.
The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital, which is also the country’s largest airport, expects international flight departures to witness a significant jump in the first week of April.
While Indian carriers are prepared for normal international services, various foreign airlines, including Emirates, Virgin Atlantic and LOT Polish, have announced plans about their services to and from India.
As many as 60 airlines from 40 countries have been permitted to operate 1,783 frequencies to and from India during the summer schedule, according to the DGCA. The summer schedule will be effective from March 27 till October 29.
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