Regular international flights are still suspended in India since March 23 (representation)
New Delhi:
Hong Kong does not allow flights from India and the Center is in talks with the Kuwaiti government to establish a bilateral air bubble, the Civil Aviation Ministry said on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, India formed bilateral air bubbles with countries like the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Germany and France. Under the pact by which an air bubble is established between two countries, airlines from both are allowed to operate special international charter flights under certain restrictions.
Scheduled international passenger flights have remained suspended in India since March 23 amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Access to civil aviation is a matter of reciprocal bilateral agreements. Regarding flights to and from Hong Kong, the problem is that Hong Kong does not allow flights from certain locations. origin, including India. @Airindiain has requested permission from authorities, ”the ministry said on Twitter.
Access to civil aviation is a matter of reciprocal bilateral agreements. When it comes to flights to and from Hong Kong, the problem is that HK does not allow flights from certain places of origin, including India. @airindiain requested authorization from the authorities.
– MoCA_GoI (@MoCA_GoI) July 29, 2020
Significant progress has been made in air access between India and Kuwait, he noted in another tweet.
“The Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Chairman of the Kuwait Civil Aviation Authority had useful and productive discussions on several issues related to bilateral access between our two countries, which will soon be resolved.” , the ministry said.
Since May 6, international charter flights have been operated by Air India as part of the Vande Bharat mission to help stranded people reach their destinations. Private carriers also operated a number of flights as part of this mission.
The aviation industry has been significantly impacted due to travel restrictions imposed in India and other countries due to the coronavirus pandemic.
All airlines in India have taken cost-cutting measures such as pay cuts, unpaid leave and employee layoffs in order to save money.
India resumed domestic passenger flights from May 25 after a two-month gap due to the coronavirus pandemic. Airlines have only been allowed to operate a maximum of 45 percent of their pre-COVID domestic flights.
However, the occupancy rate for Indian domestic flights has been around 50-60% since May 25.
