Hardeep Singh Puri
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 3
The Central Government is ready to fly passengers to international destinations under Vande Bharat Mission (VBM), but some countries have still not removed restrictions on the entry of Indian nationals, said Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday.
For example, Saudi Arabia is one country that does not allow airlines to bring passengers from India.
Some countries yet to lift restrictions
Some countries have still not removed restrictions on the entry of Indian nationals. We are ready to fly passengers to these countries whenever they ease restrictions.—Hardeep Singh Puri, Aviation Minister
“We have been operating international flights under the VBM since May 6, 2020. However, some countries, including some in the Gulf region, have still not removed restrictions on the entry of Indian nationals,” the minister said in one of his Twitter posts. “We are ready to fly passengers to these countries whenever they ease restrictions,” he added.
On October 22, Puri had said the average fare on special flights operating between Kerala and Bahrain are between Rs 30,000 and Rs 39,000 as the Gulf country allows only 750 passengers to come from India per week.
Scheduled international flights have been suspended in India since March 23 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, special international passenger flights have been operating in India under the Vande Bharat Mission since May and under bilateral air bubble arrangements formed between India and other countries since July.India started scheduled domestic passenger flights on May 25.
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