India continues to gasp for breath as the second wave of the Covid-10 pandemic sweeps the country. Several countries banned flights from India to reduce the risk of infection. Domestic flights all witnessed a drop in passengers in the last few weeks. If you wish to travel from India to the US, UK, Australia or the UAE, here’s what you need to know about the resumption of international flights.
1.The USA
The USA is considering resuming its travel from India, while other nations are expected to tighten the border policies. Currently, United Airlines and Air India are still running flights between India and the USA. Recently, the USA lifted its mask guidelines for fully vaccinated citizens. Iconic tourist spots like Times Square in New York have mobile vaccination facilities to vaccinate tourists in the USA.
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2. The UK
Air India shall begin operating flight services from London’s Heathrow to Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport from May 17 till May 31. But flights will not be functioning on the dates May 18, 23 and 30. Air India tweeted that passengers who booked flights on these dates must revalidate their bookings. Moreover, Air India will also be operating flights from Bengaluru to London on May 17, 19, 24, 26, and 31. The same will then operate from London’s Heathrow to Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport on May 16, 18, 23, 25, and 30. But Air India has stated that it’s the passenger’s responsibility to find out if they can enter the UK according to the latest rules.
#FlyAI : Air India will operate flights from London Heathrow to Mumbai from17th May to 31st May'21. (Except 18th, 23rd,25th&30th May).
Passengers who are already booked on these dates and wish to travel, will be required to revalidate their bookings.(1/4)
— Air India (@airindia) May 7, 2021
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3. Australia
Australia PM Scott Morrison revealed that the government will not be extending its temporary ban on Indian flights till May 14. Commercial flight operations from India to Australia resumed as promised. Passengers who wish to travel to Australia from May 22 must carry RT-PCR reports with a QR code linking to the original report. This new requirement comes after an increasing number of passengers carried false or forged Covid test reports in order to travel.
https://twitter.com/FlyWithIX/status/1393145250693095424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1393145250693095424%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.timesnownews.com%2Fbusiness-economy%2Findustry%2Farticle%2Faustralia-to-lift-ban-on-indian-flights-flyers-may-need-qr-code-on-rt-pcr-reports-for-international-travel%2F757115
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4. The UAE
The UAE announced a ban on Indian passengers on April 25. The ban has been extended. But the UAE government did not announce when it will be lifted. The UAE revealed that flights between the two countries will continue to ferry passengers from the UAE to India. Exempted group of travellers including UAE citizens on diplomatic missions, golden residence holders, official delegations and those travelling on business planes are allowed to travel from India to the UAE. The passengers from this group must undergo a 10-day quarantine and RT-PCR testing at the airport on the 4th and 8th day after entering the UAE.
So, if you wish to travel to these countries from India, make sure you keep these pointers in mind. Follow all the guidelines for your safety and for the safety of other passengers.
First Published: May 17, 2021 12:25 PM