Air Travel Bubble: Who Can Travel?

According to civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri, India is negotiating with 13 more countries to set up bilateral air bubble arrangements for international flight operations amid pandemic. These include Australia, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, Bahrain, Israel, Kenya, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea & Thailand.As of now India has ‘air bubble’ arrangements with the USA, UK, France, Germany, UAE, Qatar, and the Maldives.

Air bubbles, also known as travel bridges or green corridors, remove the waiting period for travelers from certain countries, by allowing the countries to operate their respective carriers.The air bubbles arrangement between the two countries help airlines to operate international flights with certain restrictions

Traveling into India: Who can Travel?
According to Air India, Indian as well as foreign airlines while operating inbound flights into India can carry the following passengers:
1.Stranded Indian nationals
2.Foreigners (including diplomats and OCI cardholders),who are eligible to enter India as per Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines dated 30.06.2020.
3.Other foreigners from these countries have also been allowed to avail Indian visa facility for business, medical and employment purposes.

Travelling out of India

Indian flyers holding any kind of valid visa under the ‘Air Bubbles’ agreement can fly to the UK, the US, Canada and UAE, the Director-General of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) India said. According to a home ministry notification, Indian citizens have also been allowed to travel to Germany and France on any type of visa.

Requirements for international travel

Earlier in August, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued some guidelines for international passengers arriving in India. As per the Union health ministry, passengers arriving from abroad have to undergo seven days of institutional quarantine followed by seven days of home quarantine. Post August 8, if an international passenger has a COVID-negative certificate from a test done 96 hours prior to the journey, he or she can avoid the seven-day institutional quarantine in India.

The Union health ministry had issued a revised guidelines for international arrivals and exempted five categories of passengers from the mandatory seven-day institutional quarantine. Moreover, it had also requested passengers to submit a self-declaration form that they have not tested positive for COVID-19 during the three weeks prior to the flight.

Here are the latest guidelines for International Arrivals:
1. All travelers should submit self-declaration form on the online portal (www.newdelhiairport.in) at least 72 hours before the scheduled travel. Also Read – International Flights on August 7 | Delhi to Vancouver, Abu Dhabi to Hyderabad | Here’s Full Schedule For Today

2.Flyers should also give an undertaking on the portal that they would undergo mandatory quarantine for 14 days i.e 7 days paid institutional quarantine, at their own cost, followed by seven days isolation at home with self monitoing of health.

3. Five categories of flyers can get exemption from the mandatory 7 days paid institutional quarantine — pregnant women; death in family; those suffering from a serious illness; parents accompanying children below 10 years of age, and flyers who have COVID-negative certificate from a test done 96 hours prior to the journey.

4. If they wish to seek such exemption, they shall apply to the online Delhi airport portal at least 72 hours before boarding. The decision taken by the government as communicated on the online portal will be final.
5. Flyers have to submit a self-declaration form that they have not tested positive for COVID-19 during the three weeks prior to their boarding.

Guidelines for before boarding and during travel

1. All passengers will be asked to download Aarogya Setu app on their mobile devices.

2. Only asymptomatic flyers will be allowed to board after thermal screening.

Covid-19 testing facility for international passengers

The Delhi airport is likely to have a Covid-19 testing facility for international passengers who if tested negative will get exemption from the seven-day mandatory institutional quarantine, news agency PTI had reported. According to the Union health ministry, travelers arriving from abroad have to undergo seven days of institutional quarantine followed by seven days of home quarantine. If the test result is negative, the passenger will not be required to undergo institutional quarantine.