After two whole years of international flights being stopped due to a raging coronavirus pandemic, India is all set to resume services on Sunday, 27 March.
This comes at a time when countries across the world are reopening their borders to allow international flights, as the number of fresh cases are on decline in most nations.
What are the rules? How could this impact you? Here's all you need to know.
Flights were operating to other countries during the pandemic, so why is this new?
Yes, flights were operating but they were all under the air bubble arrangement that was signed between specific countries. In most cases, limited number of flights, much lesser than the normal numbers, were allowed during the pandemic.
Which are some of the flight routes that are being added?
While the addition of flights will happen gradually, the following are some of the airlines that have announced the resumption of services:
Malaysia Airlines will resume 25 weekly flights from major cities across India
Polish Airlines too will resume flights from Delhi and Mumbai
The Dutch airline KLM will also resume regular flights to and from Delhi and Mumbai
Lufthansa will resume direct flights between Chennai-Frankfurt thrice a week – like from before the pandemic.
Do I still have to quarantine if I take an international flight?
This depends on the country you are travelling to. Most countries do not have a quarantine requirement if you are doubly vaccinated.
What about RT-PCR? Is this mandatory?
Again, it depends on the country you are travelling to. Most countries only have a vaccine mandate.
Do I have to wear a mask on international flights?
Yes, most airlines have a mandatory mask-wearing policy on flights. However, there is no need to wear a PPE kit or a face shield.
Will the prices of tickets become cheaper?
A total of 4,700 flights were reportedly operated internationally during pre-pandemic times. However, during the pandemic, this number was reduced to nearly 2,000. This is likely to have an impact on international flight prices.
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