As per the latest update, the Health Ministry has put countries in Europe, including the United Kingdom, and South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Israel under the ‘at-risk’ category.
New Delhi:
India will resume scheduled international flights from December 15 after the coronavirus-induced suspension, the Aviation Ministry announced on Friday.
“The matter of resumption of scheduled commercial international passenger services to and from India has been examined in consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and it has been decided that scheduled commercial international passenger services to and from India may be resumed from December 15, 2021,” the statement said.
The ministry noted that the countries the Health Ministry has identified as not “at-risk” of Covid-19 will get “full capacity entitlements according to the bilateral air service agreements.”
As per the latest update, the Health Ministry has put countries in Europe, including the United Kingdom, and South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Israel under the ‘at-risk’ category.
According to the Aviation Ministry, if a country has been identified to be “at-risk” of Covid-19 and 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”.
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.
No case of the new coronavirus variant B.1.1.529 has been detected at the Delhi airport among the passengers who were transiting or coming from countries identified to be “at risk”, the laboratory which has been tasked with conducting the tests said on Friday.
The Centre had 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 B.1.1.529 has been detected.
Scheduled international flights have been suspended in India since March 23 last year owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Resumption of commercial international passenger services would imply reversion to bilaterally agreed capacity entitlements and termination of air bubble arrangements,” the Civil Aviation Ministry said in its latest announcement. 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 Centre had 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 B.1.1.529 has been detected.
Various countries such as Britain, Germany, Singapore, Israel, France and Italy have restricted air travel from southern Africa where the new coronavirus variant, which causes serious health implications, has been reported.
Passengers coming from at-risk countries have to give their samples at the airport for RT-PCR testing, according to the Health Ministry’s rules.
“In keeping with the requirements of the Health Ministry, Genetrsings Diagnostic Centre continues to rigorously test all incoming passengers from or transiting through the ‘at risk’ countries,” its founder Gauri Agarwal said in a statement.
There is no significant surge in the number of passengers being tested, but the coordination with the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics continues, she mentioned.