With 3,249 weekly flights, regular international air travel to and from India resumes

Foreign airlines will also be able to provide stop-overs for flights from India to the rest of the world through their hubs

After a two-year-long hiatus prompted by the coronavirus pandemic which devastated the aviation industry across the world, international flights are set to resume to and from India under the summer schedule. A total of six Indian and 60 international airlines will operate 3,249 flights, starting Sunday as airports and carriers prepare for normalcy.

While the increase in connectivity would mean a drop in ticket prices, the prices are still expected to stay above pre-Covid levels due to the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war.

During this two-year period, limited international flights were operating from India under air bubble arrangements formed with other countries. It was reported that the total weekly departures of international flights are expected to increase 66 per cent in the first week of April once the regular overseas flights commence. This is in comparison to the flights that operated under bilateral air bubble arrangements during winter 2021.

Among the Indian airlines, IndiGo will operate the highest number of international flights, with 505 weekly flights, followed by Air India which will operate 361 flights. AI Express and Emirates follow on the list with 340 and 170 flights respectively.

The three Tata Group airlines, Air India, AI Express and Vistara, together will operate 757 weekly flights, including the flights to North America, Europe and the far East, the only Indian carrier to do so, according to a TOI report.

Foreign airlines also will be able to provide stop-overs for flights from India to the rest of the world through their hubs, namely the ones in the Middle-East and Southeast Asia.

On March 8, the civil aviation ministry announced that regular overseas flights will resume from March 27 amid a decline in coronavirus cases.

The government has also revised the Covid guidelines for international flight operations, including the removal of the requirement to keep three seats vacant on overseas flights for medical emergencies.

Besides, the requirement for the crew for having a complete PPE kit has been done away with.

(With PTI inputs)

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