Over the past few months, since March 2020 actually, one of the most frequently asked questions for me has been “Has International Flights started from India?” It is there in my Direct Messages on Twitter, on Instagram, on WhatsApp, and so on. So much so that if I responded to this question and charged $1 every time I did, I’d have a few 100K US Dollars by now.
Since March 2020, when the government suspended visas issued for India and closed their borders due to the CoronaVirus, this question has been top of the mind for those who are stuck in India and want to fly back to their home countries, and those who are stuck outside the country and want to fly into India.
After that, since May 2020, the Government of India authorised repatriation flights, which provided for displaced citizens to come back to India. However, the price was many notches higher than typical commercial flights, and only recently brought down.
Domestic air traffic resumed on May 25, 2020, and since then, the numbers have been pretty pedestrian for domestic air traffic. Daily flight operations are limited to 33% of the summer schedule (later allowed to go up to 45%): Pre-grounding, about 3000 flights used to operate every day domestically. However, if you notice the data for the past five weeks or so, only about 25% of the flights are operating (orange line), and each flight is running less than half occupancy on an average (grey line). In terms of passengers, about 60-70K passengers fly daily, which is roughly 17% of the pre-grounding 2020 YTD average.
You can track this update on Twitter daily.
In a press conference today, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation commented that the Government of India would continue with repatriation flights in the form of Vande Bharat Mission in the near future, saying that India has also negotiated air bubbles with some countries for the time being. However, in reality, these are no air bubbles, but just permission for the airlines of the other countries to operate for a short period of time to India as well, as a reaction to the US DoT and other regulators pushing back on the unfettered access Air India had to their countries in the name of repatriation flights without the other country getting any access to India in return. Here are all the flights which will be operated:
- United will operate 20 repatriation flights from India.
- KLM/Air France will operate 21 repatriation flights from India
- Repatriation flights between India and UAE between July 12-26, 2020
On being asked when international flights will be operational on a commercial basis, Minister said, once domestic traffic goes up to 50-55% they will consider opening up international flights. His reasoning for this is, once people arrive in a metro airport, they need to fly to their home airport, and hence, international flights won’t be permitted till domestic airports and states are ready to receive this traffic along with medical facilities made available.
When does the Minister expect to open up the flights? It is a chicken and egg answer. Per him, one pre-condition to open up international flights is the rest of the world, opening up access as well. Next to that, he needs about 50% of domestic traffic to open up, which in his expectation, won’t be before Diwali (mid-November 2020).
Hence, going by these interpretations, firstly that another round of Vande Bharat will be expected, and secondly, that international flights will wait for domestic flights to hit about 50% before the ball is set rolling, it will be a long wait before the freedom to fly out of the country at will, would be restored. You can watch the entire press conference here.
Bottomline
Unfortunately, this is not great news and leaves a lot of people hanging. For instance, island countries such as Australia have decided not to open up till 2021, and that gives some sort of finality to the issue. In India, airlines sell tickets from the first day after the next closure of airspace, and then people are caught up thinking this has the blessings of the government while it does not. Airlines can’t start flying without tickets being sold before, and hence they sell tickets hoping flights would be opened.
What do you make of the statements of the Minister, and how do you interpret the opening of the international flights to/fro India?
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Why don’t the Air Bubble carry Canadian PR holders/USA green card holders back from India. Why do they insist that they can only accompany a child below 18. When the whole family is in Canada and we senior citizens are stuck in India. If the Government can make some arrangements for the senior PR holders to join their family in Canada, we will be really grateful.
We are stuck in Karachi Pakistan we are informed that UAE has stopped issue of visas and the airlines are not allowed to take transit passengers from here to India. What is the solution
Sir/madam
When will. Flights start from moscow-delhi ? In august or September or any idea ?
When will india allow Virgin Atlantic to operate from USA to India?
@Sudhir at the moment VS intends to return to India in September 2020. https://livefromalounge.com/virgin-atlantic-announcement/
When will the flights start operations to saudi arabia
Sir when will Ethiopian airlines will start from india for west Africa. Plenty people are standing here in india sir.some are there for business, work and some are there to meet there relatives…
When flight will start from Dubai to Imphal??
When will flights reopened to United Kingdom for September intake students, most of the students studies are in loss and we need to attend our classes. It has been cleared by UK government that classes and seminars will be offline campus. We are paying Lakhs of money not to study from India.
I request Ministry of aviation to help students to reach their destination ti complete the studies.
When will open Saudia flight .we have stuak from last 5 month .plz tell me sir went well open flights.
When flights for muscut will start from Mumbai India
Dear Ajay, please refrain yourself from writing your assumptions and misleading the public, your article titled “India might not open ‘normal’ commercial international air travel many months into the future”, is baseless and cultivated from your own foolish intution, which needs to be recalled immediately by the publisher.
@Rajveer, this is all an analysis of the comments made by MoCA with all sorts of proof of what the ministry is saying provided. So when you call it baseless, you need to prove your point first about how is it baseless? Can you explain what counterpoint do you have? Would love to hear that.
It is justified that it cannot be hold down for long and cannot even rush things as well…u can put it in this manner till the vaccine or Anti virus medicine exist and commercial airliners will be bank corupt so start the regular flights with few days in a week may be one or two flights this is justified
Bcoz of this all news updates. I feel my anxiety, is increasing i hate bed time mind pretty occupied lots of lots to think nervous worry too many question when is this gona be over.even wake up in the middle of the night nervous feeling depress somedays otherdays ok.
Sir I am going to India
This air bubble business needs more clarity. Will some sane guy in the ministry come out with what happens to those who already hold a ticket from India to Canada via Germany? Is Air India exorbitant price the only option? Why is the government not allowing Lufthansa that is willing to fly empty from Germany to pick passengers from India? The repatriation flight must be allowed to connect with flights to other destinations. Example flights to paris with connection to Paris to Toronto.
uly 18. 7.20
Sir : when started( UAE) Abudhabi and sharjah flight. I worked in sharjah environment co,. filed.so pleasce tell me sir
Hi sir
When Singapore airlines flights start from New Zealand to India?
When will Indians be allowed to go on Visit Visa to UAE? Parents are residents of UAE, whose children are in India for higher studies.
Many would like their children to be with them in these times of crisis.
Please open up Visit Visas immediately .
Many families are separated because of this halt.
@Anonymous, UAE apart from Dubai has barred visit visas at the moment. Only ICA approved long-term residents can enter the country.
I dont think even Dubai is issuing tourist visas to Indians
Please help the Indian students of Australian universities who are stuck in India. How they handle this situation. Please take care of then . Both the governments take concrete decision about this situation as soon as possible. Thanks
When will VBM 5 flights schedule going to be announced for return to India from USA.
When there will be flights from Brisbane Australia to Mumbai
Noe as Sydney and Melbourne is closed.
Indian government interested in NRI remittances only. Never bothered about their grievances.
Money is only welcome in india, so that politicians can enjoy.
But my hubby tickets is booked frm Vancouver to Delhi on September
Very difficult time I cnt understand…why the some countries of world not plan how to resume tourism…bcz if more & more restrictions on tourist then many countries economically going to sink .They have to improve type of testing & allow to resuming tourism…so people travel freely.Thanks
Before Diwali, international flight services must be resumed. Many people are waiting for this decision.
Wen international flight start 4 tourist people.like japan south Korea and senhagen country… pls let me know… Thx
Sir : when started( UAE) Abudhabi flight. I worked in ADNCO oil filed.so pleasce tell me sir
1.5 months to start the so-called repatriation flights after lock down in March. Another 1.5-2 months to give the unclear messages of ‘bubble.’ Still nothing on what happens after the 19th when AI has no more repatriation flights US-India. No news of phase 5 or what happens after VBM 4 ends. If UA is allowed to India, when is the start date even going to be announced? Many people are waiting for some clarity on travel to plan. If there was at least thrice a week flight from India cities to DXB, DOHA, etc. many would have reached their destinations by now by taking transit. Of course, that wouldn’t be allowed since many will then ditch AI.