India to resume scheduled int'l flights from December 15

New Delhi: The Civil Aviation Ministry said on Friday that scheduled international flights to and from India will be resumed from December 15 after 20 months of Coronavirus-induced suspension and noted that the "matter has been reviewed and the competent authority" had decided to resume such flights.

However, the countries deemed 'at risk' of COVID-19 by the Union Health Ministry will be allowed to operate only a certain percentage of their pre-Covid scheduled flights, the Aviation Ministry clarified.

The Health Ministry on Friday said the countries in Europe, including the United Kingdom, and South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Israel have been put in the 'at-risk' category.

India's decision to resume scheduled international passenger flights has come at a time when various countries such as Britain, Germany, Singapore, Israel, France and Italy have restricted air travel from southern Africa where a new Coronavirus variant of serious health implications has been reported. The Centre on Thursday asked all states and union territories to conduct rigorous screening and testing of all international travellers coming from or transiting through South Africa, Hong Kong and Botswana, where a new Coronavirus variant has been detected. According to the Centre's decision on Friday, airlines will be allowed to operate 50 per cent of their pre-COVID scheduled passenger flights between India and South Africa, Hong Kong and Botswana from December 15.

India does not have an air bubble arrangement, which allowed special passenger flights between two countries amid COVID-related restrictions, with South Africa, Hong Kong and Botswana. Also, these three countries are classified in the 'at-risk' category by the Health Ministry.

In its letter to aviation regulator DGCA on Friday, the Aviation Ministry said that if a country has been identified in the 'at-risk' category and does not have an air bubble agreement with India, then a maximum "50 per cent of bilateral capacity entitlements or 50 per cent of pre-COVID operations of Indian or foreign carrier, whichever is higher", will be permitted.

If a country wants to operate scheduled passenger flights to another nation, a bilateral air services agreement has to be negotiated to decide how many airlines, ports of entries and total flights (or seats) weekly can be allowed between the two.

The Aviation Ministry said if a country has been identified to be 'at risk' of COVID-19 but has an air bubble agreement with India, then "75 per cent of pre-COVID scheduled international flight operations of Indian or foreign carrier, whichever is higher, or a minimum of seven frequencies per week subject to availability of entitlements under bilateral agreements will be permitted".

The countries that are not in the 'at-risk' category will get "full capacity entitlements according to the bilateral air service agreements", the Aviation Ministry noted.

"Resumption of commercial international passenger services would imply reversion to bilaterally agreed capacity entitlements and termination of air bubble arrangements," it said.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, scheduled international flights have been suspended in India since March 23 last year. However, special passenger flights have been operating since July last year under air bubble arrangements with 31 countries. Under an air bubble agreement between the two nations, airlines of both countries can operate special flights between their territories with certain restrictions.

India has air bubbles with Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Ukraine, the UAE, the UK, the USA and Uzbekistan.

Meanwhile, India logged 10,549 new Coronavirus infections taking the country's total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,45,55,431, while the active cases rose to 1,10,133.

The death toll climbed to 4,67,468 with 488 fresh fatalities, including 384 in Kerala, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.89 per cent. It has been less than two per cent for the last 53 days. The weekly positivity rate was also recorded at 0.89 per cent. It has been below two per cent for the last 63 days, according to the ministry.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 33977830, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.35 per cent.

The cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the county have crossed 120.96 crore. On Friday, more than 65 lakh (65,23,396) vaccine doses have been administered till 7 pm.