India extends international flight ban until September 30

Agencies | Dubai

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Indian civil aviation regulator on Sunday extended the ban on international passenger flights until September 30, 2021. However, the ban does not apply to cargo flights and those approved by the regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

All scheduled international flights to and from India were banned from March 2020 following the Covid-19 pandemic. The flight ban has been extended towards the end of every month since then by the regulator. However, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has signed bilateral air bubble agreements with several countries.

India has formed air bubble pacts with around 25 countries, including the US, the UK, the UAE, Kenya, Bhutan and France.

Rules stipulate that those special international flights can be operated by their airlines following an air bubble pact between two countries, irrespective of the travel ban, which initially came into place on March 22, 2020.

Here's a ready reckoner for Indian passengers planning to travel abroad:

Indians don't require to undergo mandatory quarantine on arrival:

> The Maldives, South Africa, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Russia, Venezuela, Iceland, Mali, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Egypt, Kyrgyzstan

> Indian tourists can only travel to these countries directly if they come under a bilateral air bubble agreement

> These countries need a negative PCR report and the test should be taken no more than 72 hours before departure. If a passenger tests positive on arrival, he/she will be placed under quarantine

Indians who have got the Covishield jab can travel to these 16 EU countries:

> The “Green Pass” scheme is in place for France, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Indian travellers have to undergo mandatory quarantine:

> The UK, Qatar, Mexico, Turkey, Panama, Bahrain, Barbados and Rwanda

> Indian passengers require a negative RT-PCR report with the test conducted within 72 hours before boarding and a compulsory Covid-19 test on arrival

> Also on arrival, passengers have to be quarantined for 10 days.

> They have to undergo a Covid-19 test on or before the second and the eighth day, respectively.