Omicron blows off all itineraries, fliers and travel companies left stranded

The government's announcement on resuming international flights and subsequent retrieval of it on concerns about a new coronavirus variant have got travellers, airlines and travel companies in a tizzy even as airlines have started flights to Singapore under a new deal.

Portals such as Cleartrip and Ixigo said they are flooded with passenger queries on new testing and quarantine rules in India and possibilities of travel bans by other countries.

"We have seen a spurt in queries on international travel over the last few days," Prahlad Krishnamurti, chief business officer at travel portal Cleartrip, told ET. "We expect this to persist over the next few weeks as governments adapt their rules based on the impact of the new variant being reported."

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has termed the Omicron mutation, first detected in South Africa, as 'variant of concern' that poses "very high" global risk, prompting several countries to impose travel restrictions.

Meanwhile, IndiGo, Air India, Vistara and Singapore Airlines on Monday resumed daily flights between India and Singapore under the new 'vaccinated travel lane' (VTL) agreement - a Singapore initiative that allows vaccinated travellers to enter both countries quarantine-free. Singapore, though, deferred VTL deals with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on concerns about the Omicron.

The travel industry has adopted a wait and watch stance over the new development.