India: Vande Bharat Mission phase 4 begins on July 3, 2020
India Ministry of Civil Aviation has said that the national carrier Air India will be conducting 170 flights to and from 17 countries between July 3 and 15 under the fourth phase of the Vande Bharat Mission, according to an official document.
India’s repatriation drive, Vande Bharat Mission (VBM) has announced new updates for its phase 4 operations that begin from July 3, 2020.
Under the fourth phase of the mission, Air India will operate 96 flights to India from 17 countries, Canada, the US, the UK, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Thailand, South Africa, Russia, Australia, Myanmar, Japan, Ukraine and Vietnam.
These flights are scheduled to operate between July 3 and July 15. During this period, Air India will operate 31 flights to the US, 19 to the UK, nine to Canada and eight to Australia.
Read: Flight Ticket Rates For Indians To Return Back
Bookings on India-US and India-Canada sectors begin today:
Air India Express will operate 300 flights in July. Around 136 flights are scheduled until July 14 and 164 flights are scheduled between July 15 and July 31.
Private airlines have volunteered for significant participation in this phase with 498 flights to be operated by them. Private airlines like IndiGo and GoAir will also play a major role in the fourth phase of the mission.
According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, IndiGo will operate 238 flights from Qatar and 219 flights from Kuwait while GoAir will operate 41 flights from Kuwait. Officials said the numbers of private carriers, flights and destinations are likely to increase in this phase.
Air India has been assigned to operate 170 flights to and from 17 countries during the fourth phase between July 3 and 15. Besides, Air India Express will operate 300 flights in July (136 up to 14 July and 164 between July 15 and 31).
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on June 20 said that the government will start thinking on resuming scheduled international passenger flights in mid-July, when it expects the domestic air traffic to reach 50-55 per cent of the levels before coronavirus. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said last Friday it is extending the suspension of scheduled international passenger flights in the country till July 15 but added that some international scheduled services on selected routes may be permitted on a case-to-case basis.
Meanwhile, the ban on international commercial flights continues until July 15. However, some international scheduled flights may be allowed on the selected routes on a case-to-case basis.
