Many restrictions apply on cross-border travel this festive season

Inter-state and international travel is allowed but passengers must be prepared for cancellations and schedule changes

Inter-state and international travel has resumed, but in a limited way. Most trips are deemed ‘special’ as regular buses, train and flight schedules are still not operational.

Many trips are scheduled for this weekend, in view of the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations across India.

Inter-state buses

KSRTC is running buses only to Andhra Pradesh. Its trips to Telangana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry routes have not resumed yet.

However, as a special for Onam, and on the basis of an inter-state agreement, KSRTC is sending buses to Kerala from August 25 to September 6. Passengers will have to follow 14-day self-quarantine rules when they enter Kerala and again when they come back. Tickets are available on the KSRTC website and at its counters. Temperature checks before boarding are mandatory, and physical distancing is maintained both at the counter and inside the bus. For example, in the case of two-seater chairs, only one will be filled. That norm applies to berths as well.

Train services

Regular train services remain suspended till September 30. However, special trains are running. From Bengaluru, five inter-state and four intra-state trains are operational but they don’t follow regular schedules.

Passengers are allowed to board special trains only if their temperature is normal. Other terms and conditions apply depending on the travel and train. The train schedules are subject to change. Passengers should check the status just before the date of travel, officials advise.

International travel

While domestic flights have been operational for over two months, special international flights began earlier this month. According to the civil aviation ministry, 3,644 repatriation flights were operated by the Air India Group under the Vande Bharat Mission till August 15, carrying 4.82 lakh passengers. Air India has been charging the passengers almost twice as much as regular one-way tickets.

Emirates has also started flying internationally. In case the passenger is travelling to Dubai, three flights are available on August 21, 23 and 25. Emirates schedules for September will be updated after getting confirmation from the government, an official says.

Bookings on

On the many travel aggregator sites, airlines such as Vistara, Lufthansa and United Airlines have started taking bookings for international flights. Vistara will operate special, non-stop flights between Delhi and London Heathrow from August 28 to September 30. Some will be connecting flights to another airport in the country and then to the final destination. However, all fares, dates and schedules are subject to change. Regular flights are yet to resume.