NEW DELHI, March 27: India resumed international flights on Sunday after a
gap of two years of suspension due to covid pandemic, since March 23, 2020.
The Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi operated 89
international departures and 84 arrivals while Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj International (CSMI) airport had 58 departures and 51 arrivals on
Sunday, according to official sources.
As the incidence of covid has declined, the Ministry of Civil Aviation had
earlier this month issued revised guidelines lifting the curbs on air travellers
and the airlines. According to the fresh guidelines, the PPE kit requirement
for the crew members has also been removed.
Sixty foreign airlines of 40 countries have been given approval to operate
1,783 weekly departures, while Indian carriers will operate 1,466 departures
every week. “A total of 1,466 departures (by Indian carriers ) per week have
been approved to 43 destinations in 27 countries,” the Directorate General of
Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement.
Among the foreign airlines, Emirates will operate 170 departures per week,
Oman Air 115, Air Arabia 110, Qatar Airways 99, Gulf Air 82, Etihad Airways
80, Saudi Arabian Airlines 63 and Kuwait Airways 56 (all Gulf-based), Sri Lanka
Airlines 128, Singapore Airlines 65, British Airways 49, Thai Airways 36, Lufthansa
German 32, Malaysia Airlines 30, Japan Airlines 22, Air France 20, KLM Royal
Dutch Airlines 18 and Aeroflot Russian Airlines 6. The list also includes Air
Arabia, Qantas and American Airline.
Among the Indian carriers IndiGo will operate 505 departures, followed by Air
India 361, Air India Express 340, SpiceJet 130, GoAir (GoFirst) 74 and Vistara
at 56 departures.
Summer Schedule 2022
The Summer Schedule 2022 is effective from March 27, 2022 till October 29,
2022.
“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 or from India
from March 27, 2022,” an official communique had said on March 8. “The suspension
of scheduled commercial international passenger services to or from India, thus,
stands extended only up to 2359 hrs IST on March 26, 2022 and air bubble arrangements
shall accordingly be extended to this extent only,” it added.
“After deliberation with stakeholders and keeping in view the decline in the
covid-19 caseload, we have decided to resume international travel from March
27 onwards,” Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had said.
During the two years of suspension of regular international passenger flights,
special flights were being operated to and from 37 countries in country-to-country
arrangements called air bubble agreements. India also operated flights under
what has been called Vande Bharat Mission to repatriate Indians stranded abroad.
