The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Sunday said that Air India will be conducting 114 flights to and from 17 countries between July 3 and 15 under the fourth phase of the Vande Bharat Mission to bring back stranded Indian abroad.
Under the fourth phase of the mission, Air India will be conducting 114 flights connecting India with Canada, the US, the UK, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Thailand, South Africa, Russia, Australia, Myanmar, Japan, Ukraine and Vietnam. The Ministry also stated that private airlines have volunteered to contribute significantly to the new phase. operating around 498 flights.
The Government started the mission on May 6 to help stranded people reach their destinations using special repatriation flights. Scheduled international passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Under the fourth phase, 31 flights will be operated to USA, 19 to UK, nine to Canada and eight to Australia. The national carrier will operate 26 flights between India and Saudi Arabia, it added.
Air India Express is scheduled to operate 300 chartered flights to and from various countries in July. Of them, 136 flights is scheduled to be by July 14 while 164 flights will be operated between July 15 and 31. The first phase was from May 7 to 16, following which the second phase began.
The US Department of Transportation announced on June 22 that it has barred Air India from operating chartered flights between India and the United States from July 22 without its prior approval, in an apparent retaliation for the Indian Government not allowing American carriers to operate between the two countries. Therefore, on June 23, the Aviation Ministry had said that it was considering establishing “individual bilateral bubbles” with the US, the UK, Germany and France allowing airlines of each country in the pact to operate international passenger flights.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said last Friday it is extending the suspension of scheduled international passenger flights in the country till July 15 but added that some international scheduled services on selected routes may be permitted on a case-to-case basis.
According to Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri, more than 1,47,000 Indians have returned and more than 52,000 have flown out to different countries so far under the mission.