International flights are operating through air bubble agreements. India has so far formed bilateral air bubbles with Germany, France, and the US. India is also looking to form an agreement with the UK but there is no confirmation about when the flights to the UK will start. Air India will be flying many international flights in the coming few days. Its route includes 30 flights to US (New Jersey, Washington, New York, and San Francisco), 4 flights a week to Frankfurt and 3 flights every week to Paris. More countries and destinations will be added to the list very soon.
International Flights through Air Bubble Agreement
Air bubble for international flights is basically a temporary agreement between two countries. It approves both the countries to start commercial flights to respective destinations. But in this agreement, not every airline can fly to both countries. Every country has to specify things in detail. Airlines that are operating in India at the moment are — Air India, Lufthansa, United Airlines, and Air France.
Between the period of July 22 and August 31, Air India will fly around 222 International flights to different destinations. These flights can’t be boarded by people who are just looking to travel for the sake of enjoyment. Only stranded Indians can board Air India flights flying back to India from foreign destinations.
Rules for people flying back to the US, France, and Germany are also different. For people travelling back to the US, they should be first of all US citizens. They can also be diplomats, OCI cardholders and permanent residents. Indian citizens with at least one month US visa can travel as well.
Rules for France, Germany, and other EU countries are different. First of all, if these are Indian nationals looking to go back, they can do so if they have a visa of at least one month. People of these countries who are stranded in neighbouring countries can also exit from India with the permission of the government. As for the seamen of foreign nationalities, they can go with the permission of the Ministry of Shipping.
