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Repatriation flights between U.S. and India extended to August 31
July 24th 2020
Air India announced this week plans to operate 180 repatriation flights between India and the U. S. until the end of August after the U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) gave the airline an all-clear to continue flying to the country. Read More »
In June, the DoT issued a new order that would have Air India seek approval to operate repatriation flights between the two countries. The new procedure was to come into force this week.
The department charged Air India with going "beyond true repatriations" with the frequency of these flights and said U.S carriers had not received authorisation to operate similar services from India’s aviation regulators.
On July 17, the DoT announced it had rescinded the order, following discussions between the two governments about restrictions that prevented U.S. carriers from making full use of their charter rights in the U.S.-India market.
"The department and other U.S. government agencies have continued to work with the GoI [Government of India] towards satisfactory resolution of this matter," the DoT order said.
"In that connection, recent positive developments have led the department to determine at this time that the public interest calls for removal, until further order of the department, of the charter prior approval requirement that we had imposed on Air India."
Soon after the DoT order was published, Air India released a schedule of repatriation flights, which have been branded under the government's Vande Bharat Mission umbrella, that showed 180 services between India and the U.S.
Destinations included Chicago, New York JFK and Newark, San Francisco and Washington D.C., with connections available to Indian cities Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi and Mumbai.
Figures from India's Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) reported there had been 2,526 Vande Bharat Mission flights, carrying a total of 340,053 passengers, as of Tuesday this week.
The MOCA statement on its website said India had created temporary transport bubbles with France, Germany and the U.S., allowing carriers of those countries to operate flights into the country.
On inbound flights, the airlines would be able to carry stranded Indian nationals and foreigners eligible to enter the country, such as diplomats and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card holders.
For outbound flights, U.S. airlines would be able to carry Indians eligible to travel overseas as well as U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, and foreign nationals holding valid U.S. visas.
Indians eligible to travel overseas would also be accepted for flights to France and Germany, alongside seamen of foreign nationalities and stranded European Union (EU) nationals and residents, foreign nationals destined for EU and transiting through France or Germany or spouses of these persons, whether accompanying or otherwise.
Minister for Civil Aviation, Hardeep Singh Puri, said recently the country also was working on air bubble arrangements with the United Arab Emirates and several other countries.
