Editor's Pick: Ban on all International flights to go from March 27

International flights to and from India are set to resume fully from March 27, two years after the country imposed a total ban on them to curb the spread of COVID-19 cases which had wrecked world economies and continues to hold them in its grip. Though regular or scheduled international flights were banned on March 23, 2020, four months later the government started entering into bilateral “air bubble “ agreements with different countries, starting with France, Germany, the U.S. and the U.K. amid opposition by some of these countries to Air India’s repatriation flights (or Vande Bharat flights) for Indians stranded around the world due to travel curbs in the wake of COVID-19. “After having recognized the increased vaccination coverage across the globe and in consultation with stakeholders, the Government of India has decided to resume scheduled commercial international passenger services to and from India from 27.03.2022,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Tuesday. The DGCA added that reopening of scheduled international flights would imply that countries would have to revert to bilaterally agreed capacity entitlements (number of passenger seats) under the air service agreements. “This step will provide impetus to the economic recovery of the sector and the country, with borders opening for tourists. We will soon be announcing the schedule for our international destinations,” said the CEO of IndiGo Ronojoy Dutta. Passengers on international flights will have to follow the guidelines of the Union Health Ministry. These require travelers arriving in India to fill up a self-declaration form before undertaking their journey and uploading a negative RT-PCR report or certificate of completing primary vaccination. An accompanying table to the report gives us a glimpse into the havoc wrought by COVID on the sector. From 40,000 international aircraft arrivals and departures in January 2020 to 22,790 in January 2022 shows the steep decline, international flight movement today stands at nearly 40% of pre-COVID levels, a feature shared by world economies. With the demand for international travel slowly picking up in India, with increased vaccinations and with COVID relaxing its grip, travelers are showing their willingness to go in for the long haul. The decision to resume international flights now is crucial for the recovery of the sector and hence the placement of the report on the front pages of the newspaper. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor‘s Pick and more. Click here The Hindu’s Editorials Global stagflation risk: On the need to cut fuel taxes Clear signals: On India-China ties and the new global currents The Hindu’s Daily Quiz Shashvat Nakrani is the co-founder of which of these? Paytm BharatPe PhonePe GooglePay To find out the answer and play the full quiz, click here [logo] Editor's Pick 09 MARCH 2022 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( Ban on all International flights to go from March 27 International flights to and from India are set to [resume fully from March 27]( two years after the country imposed a total ban on them to curb the spread of COVID-19 cases which had wrecked world economies and continues to hold them in its grip.  Though regular or scheduled international flights were banned on March 23, 2020, four months later the government started entering into bilateral “air bubble “ agreements with different countries, starting with France, Germany, the U.S. and the U.K. amid opposition by some of these countries to Air India’s repatriation flights (or Vande Bharat flights) for Indians stranded around the world due to travel curbs in the wake of COVID-19. “After having recognized the increased vaccination coverage across the globe and in consultation with stakeholders, the Government of India has decided to resume scheduled commercial international passenger services to and from India from 27.03.2022,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Tuesday. The DGCA added that reopening of scheduled international flights would imply that countries would have to revert to bilaterally agreed capacity entitlements (number of passenger seats) under the air service agreements. “This step will provide impetus to the economic recovery of the sector and the country, with borders opening for tourists. We will soon be announcing the schedule for our international destinations,” said the CEO of IndiGo Ronojoy Dutta. Passengers on international flights will have to follow the guidelines of the Union Health Ministry. These require travelers arriving in India to fill up a self-declaration form before undertaking their journey and uploading a negative RT-PCR report or certificate of completing primary vaccination. An accompanying table to the report gives us a glimpse into the havoc wrought by COVID on the sector. From 40,000 international aircraft arrivals and departures in January 2020 to 22,790 in January 2022 shows the steep decline, international flight movement today stands at nearly 40% of pre-COVID levels, a feature shared by world economies. With the demand for international travel slowly picking up in India, with increased vaccinations and with COVID relaxing its grip, travelers are showing their willingness to go in for the long haul. The decision to resume international flights now is crucial for the recovery of the sector and hence the placement of the report on the front pages of the newspaper. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? 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