There’s still no confirmation on the resumption of international flights. Aviation Minister says dialogue with various state governments is on, and the final decision will be taken once they are all on the same page. By Tanvi Jain
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Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri recently said that the decision on the resumption of international flights will be taken in July depending upon the COVID-19 situation and only if the entire aviation ecosystem and the state governments are ready.
“A decision to resume regular international operations will be taken as soon as countries ease restrictions on the entry of foreign nationals. Destination countries have to be ready to allow incoming flights,” Puri tweeted.
The statement was made by the minister at a webinar called — Reposing the Faith in Flying – organised by the GMR group, adding that as many states in the southern part of India, and other countries have re-imposed lockdown after lifting it, so before taking any decision on re-functioning of international flights, they just want to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
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Meanwhile, he also confirmed in another tweet that Vande Bharat has successfully flown over 95,000 Indians back home. “Vande Bharat Flights have flown more than 95K Indians home. On 16 June, 3,897 people returned from Moscow, Kiev, Cairo, Lagos, Toronto, Frankfurt, London, Paris, San Francisco, Chicago, Singapore, Dhaka, Bishkek, Male, Manila, Dammam, Muscat, Doha & Abu Dhabi,” Puri said in a tweet.
Moreover, the DGCA further added, “In addition to facilitating the Vande Bharat Mission, DGCA granted permission to around 870 chartered flights, transporting around 2 lakh passengers, both inbound and outbound. Several Airlines helped in the humanitarian mission of taking stranded people to their destinations.”
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The minister, however, also clarified that as of now he is not putting a timeline on the resumption of international flights, but discussions with the states are ongoing, and the final decision will be taken only after all have been taken into confidence. “We are confident that in the coming month we will start making decisions on the resumption of international flights. I do not want to put a timeline here, all stakeholders and travellers need to be taken into confidence,” ANI quoted Puri in a tweet.
Related: International Flights May Resume Operations Before August, Hints India’s Aviation Minister
