Six Indian airlines and 60 foreign airlines from 40 countries, including none from China, will begin operating 3,249 weekly flights to and from India on Sunday, as regular international flights return after a two-year hiatus.
Fares are projected to decline from the stratospheric heights of the bubble system, which lapses on Saturday, as connection to the authorised number of flights increases gradually. However, because of Russia's conflict in Ukraine, they are likely to be greater than pre-Covid times.
IndiGo will have the most overseas departures on a standalone basis among all airlines, with 505 weekly flights, followed by Air India with 361, AI Express with 340, and Emirates with 170. AI, AI Express, and Vistara, three Tata Group airlines, will operate 757 weekly flights, including the sole flights by an Indian carrier to North America, Europe, the Far East, and Australia. IndiGo's Istanbul flight will resume on May 1; the airline's pre-pandemic China flights are yet to begin.
Emirates, a Dubai-based international airline, has stated that, beginning April 1, it will restore full capacity to all of its Indian destinations. Emirates, one of the world's largest airlines and one of the UAE's two flag carriers, would operate 170 flights a week to nine Indian cities, including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Bengaluru.