With travel restrictions easing worldwide, Bengaluru International Airport will now reconnect the state capital to 14 international destinations as part of international return flights, the Vande Bharat Mission and the air bubble programs.
According to Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), 13 airlines will operate international flights from Kempegowda International Airport under these programs.
Destinations directly connected from Bengaluru Airport include Abu Dhabi (Etihad, GoAir and Air India Express), Amsterdam (KLM Royal Dutch), Dubai (Emirates, Indigo, GoAir, Air India Express and Vistara), Doha (Indigo and Qatar Airways), Frankfurt (Lufthansa), Kuwait (Air India & Indigo), Kuala Lumpur (Air India Express & Malaysian Airlines), London (Air India & British Airways), Muscat (Air India Express), Narita (Air India) , Paris (KLM Royal) Dutch), Riyadh (Indigo) and Singapore (Air India Express). The BLR airport is connected to San Francisco via Kochi (Air India).
“Passengers can get updated information on arrival and departure logs at Bengaluru airport’s official website. They need to check all information with their respective airlines for information on government policies, travel policies, and permissions, “BIAL said in a statement.
The Airport alos posted FAQs on Air Bubble:
Frequently Asked Questions: Air Bubble
1. What is an Air Bubble flight?
2. How many Air Bubble flights are operating from BLR Airport?
Lufthansa (1800 102 5838) / https://www.lufthansa.com/in/en/homepage
Air France/KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (1800 4192 033/ +91 124 623 3502) /Â https://wwws.airfrance.in/ /
Emirates (+91 91670 03333) /Â https://www.emirates.com/in/english/
Etihad Airways (1800 123 3901) /Â https://www.etihad.com/en-in/
Air India (1860-233-1407 / 0124-264-1407/ 020-2623-1407) /Â http://www.airindia.in/
Air India Express (+91 44 4001 3001) /Â https://www.airindiaexpress.in/
IndiGo (+91 0124 617 3838 / +91-9910383838) /Â https://www.goindigo.in/
For further details, please refer to the website of Ministry of Civil Aviation, India https://www.civilaviation.gov.in/en/about-air-transport-bubbles
3. What are the eligibility criteria for passengers to travel on Air Bubble flights?
I. United States of America (USA)
A. Inbound flights to India
a. Stranded Indian nationals
b. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding US passports, and
c. Foreigners (including diplomats) holding valid visas issued by an Indian Mission in any category covered under Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines dated June 30, 2020
B. Outbound flights from India
a. Any Indian national holding any type of valid US visa. The airline must ensure that there is no travel restriction for Indian nationals to enter USA with the particular visa category before issue of ticket/ boarding pass to the Indian passenger
b. US citizens, legal permanent residents, and foreign nationals holding valid US visas
c. Seamen of foreign nationalities/ holding Indian passports, subject to clearance from the Ministry of Shipping
II. Canada
A. Inbound flights to India
a. Stranded Indian nationals
b. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding Canadian passports, and
c. Foreigners (including diplomats) holding valid visas issued by an Indian Mission in any category covered under Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines dated June 30, 2020 (possible to do a hyperlink to this policy?)
B. Outbound flights from India
a. Stranded Canadian nationals/ residents
b. Any Indian national holding any type of valid Canadian visa. The airline must ensure that there is no travel restriction for Indian nationals to enter Canada with the particular visa category before issue of ticket/ boarding pass to the Indian passenger
c. Seamen of foreign nationalities/holding Indian passports, subject to clearance from the Ministry of Shipping
III. United Kingdom
A. Inbound flights to India
a. Stranded Indian nationals
b. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding British passports, and
c. Foreigners (including diplomats) holding valid visas issued by an Indian Mission in any category covered under Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines dated June 30, 2020
B. Outbound flights from India
a. Stranded UK nationals/ residents, foreign nationals transiting through UK or spouses of these persons, whether accompanying or otherwise
b. Any Indian national holding any type of valid UK visa and intended for UK only. The airline must ensure that there is no travel restriction for Indian nationals to enter the UK with the particular visa category before issue of ticket/ boarding pass to the Indian passenger
c. Seamen of foreign nationalities/holding Indian passports, subject to clearance from the Ministry of Shipping
IV. United Arab Emirates (UAE)
A. Inbound flights to India
a. Stranded Indian nationals
b. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding UAE passports, and
c. UAE nationals (including diplomats) holding valid visas issued by an Indian Mission in any category covered under Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines dated June 30, 2020
B. Outbound flights from India
a. UAE nationals
b. ICA-approved UAE residents destined for UAE only
c. Any Indian national holding any type of valid UAE visa and destined for UAE only. The airline must ensure that there is no travel restriction for Indian nationals to enter UAE with the particular visa category before issue of ticket/ boarding pass to the Indian passenger
4. Where can arriving international passengers fill the self-reporting form online?
All international passengers arriving at BLR Airport must submit the Air Suvidha self-reporting form on the online portal https://www.newdelhiairport.in/airsuvidha/apho-registration at least 72 hours before the scheduled travel.
Air Suvidha is an online system for international passengers to submit the form and declare their current health status. This form is mandatory and should be filled prior to boarding. In case of any exemption requests from standard quarantine procedures, the appropriate category needs to be updated with relevant documents.Â
On submission, the application will be forwarded to the Airport Health Organisation (APHO) at BLR Airport. Upon arrival, passengers may show the application document in their email to the personnel manning the APHO counter.
5. What are the latest guidelines for International passengers arriving in BLR Airport?
Travellers must submit self-declaration form on the Yatri Karnataka portal https://www.covidwar.karnataka.gov.in/ or https://parihara.karnataka.gov.in/service38/ at least 72 hours before the scheduled date of travel. Travellers who don’t fill the self-declaration form prior to travel can fill it on the flight (in duplicate). A copy of the same must be handed over to the Health & Immigration officials at BLR Airport.
Business/ short term travellers with a negative RT-PCR test report shall be exempted from quarantine. Such passengers shall also submit a declaration with respect to authenticity of the test report and will be liable for criminal prosecution, if found otherwise. The test report should be produced upon arrival at BLR Airport.
All passengers must download Aarogya setu app, Quarantine watch app and Apthamitra App on their mobile devices. (https://covid19.karnataka.gov.in/new-page/softwares/en)
All arriving passengers will undergo screening protocols upon arrival including, submission of self-reporting form, thermal scanning, pulse oximeter reading and a check of the mandatory apps, as specified above.
What is the cost of COVID-19 test, if done upon arrival at the Airport?
Requirements for Passengers to Travel to other Countries
Country | Reference Links – Information shared by respective countries | Information shared by Airlines |
France | https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/coming-to-france/coronavirus-advice-for-foreign-nationals-in-france/ | Air France |
Germany | https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/faqs/DE/themen/bevoelkerungsschutz/coronavirus/coronavirus-faqs.html#doc13738352bodyText3 | Lufthansa |
United States | https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel.html | United |
UAE | https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/justice-safety-and-the-law/handling-the-covid-19-outbreak/travelling-amid-covid-19 | Etihad & Emirates |
Passengers should connect with Airlines and confirm their eligibility for travel to a specific country, by referring to the guidelines available on the respective country’s regulatory website, as these guidelines are subject to change.
International air traffic has been suspended since March due to the Covid-19 pandemic. After almost four months, India resumed international flights to the US via an air bubble.
Air transport bubbles are temporary agreements between two countries that aim to resume commercial passenger traffic if regular international flights are suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic. India has air traffic agreements with countries such as the United States, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and the Maldives.
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