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Domestic flight operations rise, highest since May 25 last year: Aviation minister Puri

The trajectory of domestic flight operations in India is on the path to reach pre-Covid levels. The government of India on Monday said that the total number of domestic passengers that travelled on February 28, rose to over 3.13 lakh with a total of 2,353 flights in the air. As per the Union minister for civil aviation Hardeep Singh Puri, the statistics are the highest since the resumption of domestic flight services on May 25 last year. "Number of domestic passengers on 28th February 2021 rose to 3,13,668 on 2,353 flights," Puri said, adding, "This is the highest since resumption of domestic flights on 25th May 2020." As per the data provided by the government, total flight movements on Sunday were 4,699 with a total footfall on airports reporting to be more than 6.17 lakh. The domestic flight operations in the country were stopped from midnight March 24, 2020 in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The flight operations resumed after two months on May 25. As the rage of the deadly virus started declining, the flight operations too witnessed a rise in the passengers and airport footfall.

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Now Fly to Seychelles, Uzbekistan from India; Air Bubble Pact Established With 27 Countries

India has signed air bubble arrangement with Seychelles and Uzbekistan, increasing the number of countries under air bubble agreement to 27. International flights from both the sides will fly between the two countries. Which airlines will start operations to these destinations is not yet announced. India has now formalized air bubble arrangements with a total of 27 countries adding places like Russia, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Oman on the list along side earlier done agreements with countries like USA, Canada, France, Germany, among others. Minister of Civil Aviation, Hardeep Singh Puri earlier mentioned that Government is in discussion with more countries for similar arrangements. Air Bubble agreement is a bilateral air corridor being established between various countries to ease travel restrictions amidst travel ban imposed by various countries due to coronavirus. Despite the ban, India was among the first few nations to start repatriation drive as early as May to bring back stranded Indians. Soon after, Air Bubbles were established to further ease the travel. Till now, govt has facilitated the repatriation and international travel of over 6 million people through different means since 6th May 2020. On the other hand, domestic flights are now running at 80 percent capacity and will soon reach pre COIVD-19 levels, as informed by the Minister. As the government is easing the lockdown further to open up the economy, more and more people are flying in and out of the country for all sorts of purposes, right from business travel to education travel and even for tourist activities. The ban on scheduled commercial international flights remains in place till March 31.

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Starting in April, ‘Chalo Chamba Campaign’ to promote tribal culture

The ‘Brown Bear Motor Sports Rally’, being the first event of the Chalo Chamba Campaign 2021, will be flagged off from the Chamba district headquarters on April 9. Deputy Commissioner DC Rana released a calendar of events for the campaign here recently. He said a mega tribal festival would be held at Chamba Chowgan on April 15 i.e. Himachal Day. Rana said special focus would be laid on showcasing the tribal culture of Chamba district, including Pangwala, Gaddi and Gujjar and the tribal culture of Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur for which seven tribal troupes had been invited. Rana said the Chalo Chamba Campaign had been launched with an objective to promote tourism by exploring the unexplored destinations in the picturesque district. “The calendar consisting of 24 events of the campaign unfolds the activities to be organised in order to boost tourism activities,” said the DC, adding that it included multiple tourism, trekking and adventure sports activities. A special invitation had also been given to the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA), Dharamsala, to perform on April 30, he said. Besides, emphasis was being laid on propagating the cultural heritage of the region by holding heritage walks at Chamba and Dalhousie, he added. Rana said traditional cuisine fest (packages) would be organised at various locations on requirement basis while following the calendar dates’ schedule. A water sports festival would be organised at the Taleru water sports complex on the banks of the Chamera lake near Dalhousie, said the DC, adding that a paragliding mega tournament would be held at the notified take-off and landing sites near Khajjiar which would be another attraction for tourists.

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An air travel bubble between Sri Lanka and India to be launched soon

A decision has been taken to launch an air travel bubble between Sri Lanka and India soon, the Government Information Department said. The decision was taken during a discussion between the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Gopal Baglay and Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga at the Ministry of Tourism. The Government of India has proposed to launch an air travel bubble between the two countries. The proposal was brought forth by the Indian High Commissioner to the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, and the above discussion was held to discuss the next steps that should be taken to launch the program. Accordingly, views were exchanged regarding the resumption of air flights between the two countries under this air travel bubble and the opening of the country to tourists in accordance with the health guidelines of the two countries. The discussion also focused on the development work of Palaly Airport, which was halted due to the pandemic and the resumption of its operations. While stating that this program would enhance bilateral relations between the two countries in the areas of tourism and aviation, Minister Ranatunga extended his gratitude to the Indian High Commissioner for India’s support to Sri Lanka’s tourism industry.

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Nepal set to resume tourism promotion campaign at int’l level after a year

Nepal is all set to resume its tourism promotion campaign at the international year after a gap of a year. Nepal Tourism Board says the country will physically participate in a South Asian travel mart to be held in New Delhi and Mumbai of India in March. The month marks exactly one year since the government halted the international campaigning citing the Covid-19 fears. The board has allocated Rs 10 million for the promotion campaign in the Indian cities. Immediately after India, the board team will go to China and Bangladesh also for similar campaigns. The board wants to launch the campaigns wherever possible, but any of such events in Europe is unlikely anytime soon, informs the board’s Chief Executive Officer Dhananjay Regmi. Fearing the further spread of different variants of the virus, various international events in the region have either been postponed or held online. In such cases also, the board will continue pushing for promotion virtually, according to him. Meanwhile, the board has reiterated that the government needs to relax Covid-19 quarantine provisions for tourists to revive the industry shattered by the pandemic.

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India suspends international flights until 31 March

Flights to India that lie outside its air bubble agreements with other countries have been suspended until 31 March, 2021, the country’s Director of Civil Aviation has announced. The move is in keeping with stopping the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, but will see cargo flights continue their current operations. In a circular issued by Sunil Kumar, Joint Director General of the DG of Civil Aviation, he announced the suspension of “scheduled international commercial passenger services to/from India till 23:59 hrs IST of 31 March 2021. “This restriction will not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by the DGCA,” he added. “However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case to case basis.” Currently, India has air bubble agreements with 27 countries: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, the Maldives, Nepal, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Russia, Qatar, Rwanda, the Seychelles, Tanzania, the UAE, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, the US and Uzbekistan.

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