Regular international passenger flights from Mar 27 after two-year gap

Scheduled international passenger flights will begin on March 27 after a gap of two years.

The civil aviation ministry on Tuesday announced the resumption of scheduled international flights and an end of air transport bubbles which replaced regular scheduled flights in the past two years.

The move is expected to boost international capacity and will help soften airfares which have been soaring due to increased demand and rise in crude oil prices.

While the government had earlier planned to resume international flights from 15 March, the Russia-Ukraine conflict which necessitated relief flights to bring back stranded Indians delayed the process.

“After having recognised 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 March 27,” the ministry said in a press release. March-end the start of the summer schedule of airlines.

For airlines, it’s a much needed relief as resumption of international operation means they will be able to use the aircraft on longer sectors resulting in better utilisation of assets. They will also be able to improve their revenue earned per seat as fares are higher on international sectors compared to domestic routes.

For instance, despite 100 percent opening up of domestic travel, IndiGo which has around 270 aircraft had a few planes grounded.

“This step will provide impetus to the economic recovery for the sector and the nation, with borders opening for tourists. We look forward to connecting our customers to the people and places they love. We will soon be announcing the schedule for our international destinations, in accordance with these new guidelines,” said IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta.

On Monday, 617 international flights were operated, which is around 50 per cent of pre-Covid capacity. At present India has air transport bubble agreements with 37 countries.

Flights under air transport bubbles are essentially scheduled flights but operate with different conditions. For instance, airlines are allowed to sell tickets for only a limited number of onward destinations. In the case of certain countries, bubble agreements allow for only point-to-point traffic. Resumption of normal international flights would give passengers wider travel choice.

In February the government eased entry curbs for international passengers. Fully vaccinated travellers do not have to undergo a seven-day home quarantine or RT-PCR test on arrival. The easing came on the back of decline in Covid-19 cases.

The government had earlier decided to allow scheduled international passenger flights from December 15 last year but the decision was quickly rolled back due to the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 globally.

The travel sector hailed the government’s latest announcements.

“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, US and UK. Resumption of international commercial flights will also regularise the demand-supply balance resulting in lower international airfares,” said Aloke Bajpai, co-founder and group CEO, ixigo.

“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 the pandemic. Besides, we appeal to the government to resume multiple entry visas and e-visa for countries which have been barred particularly from the source markets like UK and Canada. We also request the government to extend the validity of free tourist visa till March 31, 2024 without capping of 5 lakh free tourist visas,” said Rajiv Mehra, president of Indian Association of Tour Operators.

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