After two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, India is all set to resume regular international flights on March 27 with airports and airlines getting ready for normal overseas operations.
According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), as many as 60 airlines from 40 countries have been permitted to operate 1,783 frequencies to/from India during the summer schedule which will be effective from March 27 till October 29.
A few new airlines including India Salam Air, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, and Qantas and American airline will also begin operations.
India suspended scheduled international flights in March 2020 following the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. Overseas flights are now being operated under bilateral air bubble arrangements with various countries.
Earlier this month, the government announced the the resumption of international flights from March 27 considering the substantial decline in the coronavirus cases. The government had also revised the Covid-19 guidelines for international flight operations, including the removal of the requirement to keep three seats vacant on overseas flights for medical emergencies.
IndiGo, India's largest airline, said in a statement that the company is keen on resuming international operations back to pre-Covid levels but that will also depend on factors like arrival guidelines of various countries.
"We certainly have plans to open new destinations in the near future as well as pump up capacity on our existing routes as travel further opens up. Reaching economies of scale in such a dynamic environment where ATF and other fixed costs are constantly going up, becomes challenging," it said.
DIAL, operators of the Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), the country's largest airport, expects to connect to over 60 international destinations after the resumption of regular overseas flights. The airport handled around 1.8 lakh passengers per day during pre-Covid times.
According to a DIAL spokesperson, the total weekly departures of international flights are expected to increase 66 per cent in the first week of April once the regular overseas flights commence.
With PTI inputs