Go First To Resume Direct Flights Between Srinagar And Sharjah Soon

Go First, an Indian low-cost carrier announced on Friday that it has secured bilateral rights to operate direct flights between Srinagar and Sharjah, which it will begin flying in the coming days.

It is worth noting that the airline was forced to cancel the Srinagar-Sharjah flights on March 27 due to a lack of bilateral rights granted under air services agreements inked between the two countries to conduct scheduled international passenger flights.

On October 23, last year, Go First launched a Srinagar-Sharjah flight, connecting Jammu and Kashmir with the United Arab Emirates for the first time in nearly 11 years.

Since then, Go First has been operating these special flights under a coronavirus-induced air bubble arrangement between India and the UAE till March 26.

When India resumed scheduled international passenger flights on March 27, the measure was lifted.

A Go First spokeswoman told PTI on Friday that the airline has received bilateral permission to operate five flights per week on the Srinagar-Sharjah-Srinagar route.

“We will restart flights on this route in the next few days. However, the frequency is yet to be decided,” a Go First spokesperson said.

The bilateral agreement specifies the maximum number of total flights (or seats) that can be flown from one country to another each week.

Even after obtaining such flying rights, an airline must have slots at both airports in order to begin scheduled flight operations.