2 min readNew DelhiJul 17, 2020 03:04 AM IST
First published on: Jul 17, 2020 at 03:04 AM IST
Hardeep Singh Puri. (File)
India is in advanced stage of negotiations for establishing air bubbles with several nations to fly people internationally amidst travel restrictions on incoming passengers by various jurisdictions.
“Till international civil aviation can reclaim its pre-COVID situation in terms of numbers, I think the answer lies in these bilateral air bubbles, which will carry as many people as possible but under defined conditions because many countries are still posing entry restrictions as are we. It’s not that anyone can travel from anywhere to anywhere,” Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Wednesday.
Puri also said the government has allowed United Airlines and Air France to operate flights from India to their respective countries. While United has been allowed to operate 18 flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Newark between July 17 and 31, Air France will operate flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru to Paris between July 18 and August 1.
“The issue of compliance with the SOPs is always going to be there because we are operating on our procedures. We have already granted permission to United to operate 18 flights between July 17 and 31 so one part is done. I’m more than reasonably confident that whatever issues are there will be resolved. Air bubbles, we will have to work out, it is something that needs to be negotiated. There is no such thing as an agreement. As we go along, demand will change. We will have to work out,” Puri further said.
The concept of travel bubble, or an air bridge, is reciprocal in nature, which means that both sides — the departure point and the arrival point — have to be on board and would mean that travel restrictions such as quarantining or testing of passengers are discarded between these two countries.
Hardeep Singh Puri. (File)
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