Hong Kong Not Allowing Flights From India, Seeking Approval On Bilateral Air Bubble

Hong Kong is not allowing flights from India and the government of India is in discussions with the Kuwait government to establish a bilateral bubble, said the Civil Aviation Ministry on Wednesday.

Earlier this month, India had formed bilateral air bubbles with countries like the UAE, the US, Germany, and France.

Under the pact whereby an air bubble is established between two countries, the airlines of both are allowed to operate special international charter flights during certain restrictions.

Scheduled international passenger flights still remain suspended in India since March 23 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“Civil aviation access is a matter of reciprocal bilateral arrangements. As far as flights to & from Hong Kong are concerned, the problem is that HK is not allowing flights from certain places of origin including India. @airindiain has applied for permission with the authorities,” the ministry of civil aviation said on Twitter.

Civil aviation access is a matter of reciprocal bilateral arrangements. As far as flights to & from Hong Kong are concerned, the problem is that HK is not allowing flights from certain places of origin including India. @airindiain has applied for permission with the authorities.

— MoCA_GoI (@MoCA_GoI) July 29, 2020

Significant progress has been made on aviation access between India and Kuwait, it noted in another tweet.

“Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation and President of Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation had useful & productive discussions on several issues related with bilateral access between our two countries which will be resolved soon,” the ministry said.

Since May 6, international charter flights are operated by Air India under the Vande Bharat Mission to help stranded people reach their destinations.

Private carriers have also operated a particular number of flights under this mission. The aviation sector has been significantly impacted because of the travel restrictions imposed in India and other countries in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

All airlines in India have taken cost-cutting measures like pay cuts, leave-without-pay, and firings of employees in order to conserve cash.

India resumed domestic passenger flights from May 25 after a gap of two months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The airlines are allowed to operate only a maximum of 45 percent of their pre-COVID domestic flights.

However, the occupancy rate in Indian domestic flights has been around just 50-60 percent since May 25.

Also Read: VBM Flights Showing ‘Sold Out’ Due To Technical Glitch – Air India