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Updated June 23rd, 2020 at 17:30 IST

US, France, Germany request operation of Air Carriers in line with India's 'Vande Bharat'

The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Tuesday said that it got requests from US, France, Germany to allow their airlines to operate repatriation flights.

Reported by: Prachi Mankani
Ministry of Civil Aviation
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The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Tuesday said that it got requests from US, France, Germany to allow their airlines to operate repatriation flights. The ministry in its official release stated that the countries are requesting for their air carriers be allowed to participate in the transportation of passengers along the line being conducted by Air India under Vande Bharat Mission.

"These requests are being examined. We have also had one round of negotiations with the US on 15 June with representatives of the US Department of Transportation and US Embassy on this issue," the ministry said.

The ministry further stated that the evacuation flights which were primarily meant for the evacuation of our citizens from all over the world are now increasingly carrying Indians and citizens of other countries outbound to countries where they are normally resident. 

"As we contemplate further opening up in response to demands, we are looking at the prospect of establishing individual bilateral bubbles, India-US, India-France, India-Germany, India-UK. These are all destinations where demand for travel has not diminished. Final decisions pursuant to negotiations are expected to be taken soon," the ministry further said.

READ: Centre says 'resuming international flights depends on countries opening their borders'

READ: US cries foul over Air India's Vande Bharat evacuation; seeks operations for its airlines

The Vande Bharat Mission 

In a major relief for Indians stranded abroad, the Centre had announced that their travel will be arranged via aircraft and naval ships in a phased manner. The Mission that started on May 7, was divided into phases, out of which, the third phase is currently on-going. While the first phase brought back around 15,000 Indians back home, the second phase brought back nearly 30,000 Indian nationals till May 29. The schedule for the third phase has 356 flights, including return services and domestic connections till July 1. 

The biggest repatriation process has covered several countries including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Maldives, Singapore, Finland, South Korea, Belgium, New Zealand, Netherlands, Kenya, Mauritius, Spain, Myanmar, Maldives, Egypt, Sri Lanka, and so on. 

READ: Vande Bharat Mission: 5,078 citizens have returned to India on June 19, says Hardeep Puri

READ: Coronavirus Live Updates: India reports 440,215 COVID-19 cases, 248,190 recovered

 

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Published June 23rd, 2020 at 17:30 IST

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