India Signs Air Bubble Agreement With Mauritius And Finland: Details Here

In a bid to start air travel with more countries, the Civil Aviation Authority of India has signed Air Bubble Agreement with Mauritius and Finland and taking the total number of air bubble arrangements to 30 countries.

The decision comes as the scheduled international flights to and from India continue to suspend.

It must be noted that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) India has extended the suspension of scheduled international flights to/from India till Nov 30, 2021. And international flights specifically approved by the DGCA under the Vande Bharat Mission and Air Bubbles are allowed to operate to/from India.

Under an air bubble arrangement between two countries, international passenger flights can be operated by their respective carriers into each other’s territories subject to certain conditions.

What Is Air Bubble Arrangements?

Air Bubble Arrangements are temporary arrangements between two countries aimed at restarting commercial passenger services when regular international flights are suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. They are reciprocal in nature, meaning airlines from both countries enjoy similar benefits.

Air Bubble With 30 Countries

Till now India has signed an air bubble agreement with a total of 30 countries which includes, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Ukraine, UAE, United Kingdom, USA, and Uzbekistan

Mauritius

India has created an air bubble arrangement with Mauritius. Air India and Mauritian carriers are now permitted to operate flights between India and Mauritius and carry the following categories of persons on such flights:

From India to Mauritius

i. Stranded nationals/residents of Mauritius, foreign nationals destined for Africa and transiting through Mauritius or spouses of these persons, whether accompanying or otherwise;

ii. Any Indian national or national of Nepal or Bhutan destined for any country in Africa and holding a valid visa for the destination country. It would be for the airlines concerned to ensure that there is no travel restriction for Indian / Nepalese /Bhutanese nationals to enter the destination country with the particular visa category before the issue of ticket/boarding pass to the Indian/ Nepalese/ Bhutanese passenger; and

iii. Seamen of foreign nationalities and seamen holding Indian passports would be allowed subject to clearance from the Ministry of Shipping. Seamen should be destined to countries of Africa only.

From Mauritius to India

i. Indian nationals or nationals of Nepal or Bhutan stranded in any country in Africa;

ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders and Person of Indian Origin (PIO) cardholders holding passports of any country;

iii. All foreign nationals (from any country in Africa) intending to visit India for any purpose (including their dependents on the appropriate category of dependent visa) covered under the extant Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India guidelines; and

iv. Seamen from countries of Africa.

Passengers traveling on flights from India to Mauritius should be destined for African countries only. Similarly, only passengers originating from countries in Africa should be allowed to travel on flights from Mauritius to India.

Finland

India has formalized an air bubble arrangement with Finland. Indian and Finnish carriers are now permitted to operate services between India and Finland and carry the following categories of persons on such flights:

From India to Finland

i. Stranded nationals/residents of Finland, foreign nationals destined for EU/Schengen area, South America or Africa only and transiting through Finland or spouses of these persons, whether accompanying or otherwise;

ii. Any Indian national or national of Nepal or Bhutan destined for any country in EU/Schengen area, South America or Africa only and holding a valid visa of the destination country. It would be for the airlines concerned to ensure that there is no travel restriction for Indian/Nepalese/Bhutanese nationals to enter the destination country before the issue of ticket/boarding pass to the Indian/Nepalese/Bhutanese passenger; and

iii. Seamen of foreign nationalities and Seamen holding Indian passports would be allowed subject to clearance from the Ministry of Shipping. Seamen should be destined for countries in the EU/Schengen area, South America, or Africa only.

From Finland to India

i. Indian nationals or nationals of Nepal or Bhutan stranded in any country in EU/Schengen area, South America or Africa only;

ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders and PIO cardholders holding passports of any country;

iii. All foreign nationals (from any country in EU/Schengen area, South America or Africa only) holding a valid Indian visa as per extant guidelines; and

iv. Seamen from EU/Schengen area, South America or Africa only.

Passengers traveling on flights from India to Finland should be destined for countries in the EU/Schengen area, South America, or Africa only. Similarly, only passengers originating from countries in the EU/Schengen area, South America, or Africa should be allowed to travel on the flights from Finland to India

Also Read: Air India Express Announced Flights Between India and Malaysia For Dec 2021: Full Schedule Here