Published 18:01 IST, June 3rd 2020
On possibility of intl flights resumption, Hardeep Puri flags concern over COVID situation
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri stated that restarting international flights depended on factors such as the COVID-19 situation and passenger safety.
- India News
- 2 min read
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday, June 3 stated that restarting international flights depended on a number of factors such as the COVID-19 situation and the safety of the passengers. He added that the willingness of countries to accept incoming foreigners was equally important. According to Puri, some individuals were agitating on social media demanding resumption of international flights without knowing the avenues available to them.
He noted that other countries had repatriated 1,44,000 of their citizens from India via over 579 flights. Moreover, the Union Minister revealed that more than 57,000 Indian citizens had been evacuated from abroad on 312 flights under the aegis of the Vande Bharat Mission. He also mentioned that over 13,000 Indian nationals, NRIs and OCI cardholders had flown out of the country since the commencement of the nationwide lockdown on March 25.
The Centre had banned international air travel for passengers with effect from March 22 to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, there are 2,07,615 confirmed novel coronavirus cases in India out of which 1,003,03 patients have been discharged while 5815 casualties have been reported.
MHA permits certain foreigners to come to India
In a massive development earlier in the day, the Ministry of Home Affairs decided to allow certain categories of foreigners to come to India. For instance, foreign businessmen on a business visa can come to India in non-scheduled commercial or chartered flights. Foreign healthcare professionals, health researchers, engineers and technicians at Indian healthcare facilities are also eligible for entry into the country provided they produce a letter of invitation from a registered healthcare facility, registered pharmaceutical company or an accredited university.
Furthermore, foreign engineering, managerial design or other specialists travelling to India on behalf of foreign business entities located in India have been given a green signal by the MHA. Additionally, foreign technical specialists and engineers can travel to the country for the repair, installation and maintenance of foreign-origin machinery and equipment on the invitation of a registered Indian business entity. The MHA clarified that such foreign nationals will have to either get a fresh visa or have their existing visa re-validated from the Indian missions abroad.
Updated 18:01 IST, June 3rd 2020