India may very soon resume regular international flight operations, said Rajiv Bansal, Secretary of Ministry of Civil Aviation on Wednesday (Nov. 24).
Currently, India has formed air-bubble pacts with around 28 countries, including the US, the UK, the UAE, Kenya, Bhutan and France. Under an air-bubble pact between two countries, special international flights can be operated by their airlines between their territories with specific restrictions
Indian Civil Aviation Minister said at the Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII’s) Global Economy Policy Summit. “We are evaluating the process. We are coming back to normalcy. First, we allowed 100% passenger capacity in our domestic flights and now we allowed in-flight meals in those flights.”
The minister said people have to be careful as the country is still fighting the covid-19 pandemic. “We want to resume international operations but in a safe environment,” Scindia said. “Despite vaccinations, countries like Russia and parts of Europe are fighting the fourth wave of the pandemic. Hence, we cannot let our guard down.”
“Let’s not erase our memories so soon, getting infected with covid-19 virus is the worst thing possible.” He said the industry will see around 2,000 aircraft in the next decade.
He said the decision to resume international flights will be made not by the ministry of civil aviation alone but by other ministries as well. Scheduled international passenger flights to and from India were suspended in March 2020 due to the covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking on the Air India divestment status, Rajiv Bansal said the govt is making all efforts to handover operations of Air India by the end of December.
