Int’l flights to depend on demand: Puri

THE MINISTER SAID THAT INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT OPERATIONS ALSO DEPEND ON AIRSPACES BEING OPEN AND ACCEPTANCE BY DESTINATIONS

nNEW DELHI: A decision on the resumption of international passenger flights will depend on demand and other countries being open to receiving flights amid the Covid-19 pandemic, civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Saturday, and overseas operations to North America where demand is higher may be the first to restart, according to a senior official.

At the same time, Puri was hopeful that domestic flights would reach full capacity by the end of the year.

“Any suggestion that international air traffic has opened up in other countries and we are the only ones not to open up needs a reality check. The exact time we resume international flights depends on other countries being open to receive flights,” Puri said at a press conference on Saturday.

India has suspended international passenger flights since March 22 in a bid to contain the spread of Covid-19.

International flight movement in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, China, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates now varies between 3% and 18% of their earlier flight capacity, Puri said.the minister said that international flight operations depend on airspaces being open and acceptance by destinations.

“Many countries decided that they were not going to allow nationals from other countries except their own. We also went with the same position,” Puri said.

He added that entry to the US, UK, France, China, UAE and Singapore was conditional. “We cannot have normal civil aviation operations under such conditions. We are left with no option but to continue with evacuation and repatriation flights under controlled conditions. We are constantly trying to expand both domestic and Vande Bharat flights {to bring back Indians stranded abroad} and eventually resuming flights to pre-covid operational capacities,” he added.

The minister added that nearly 275,000 stranded Indians have been brought back so far, adding that 109,000 Indians were brought back via Air India alone. During Phase 3 and Phase 4 of the Vande Bharat mission, private domestic airlines have been mandated to operate 750 international flights along with 300 Air India flights that will be added in the coming days, Puri said.

India may resume international flights on routes with relatively higher demand first, other officials said.

“Both ends have to be ready and there has to be traffic if international operations are to begin. There is a significant amount of traffic between India and the North American continent. We may think of opening flights on a case-to-case basis,” civil aviation secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said.

Puri said the government was ready to expand the capacity on domestic routes from 33% (at present) to 45% depending on the states.

“At present we have allowed only 33% flights to operate. Flights are not operating with full capacity even now. We will open more routes when there is more demand. We are ready to take it to up to even 40-45% capacity,” Puri added.

The limits on airfares imposed on domestic flights may also be extended beyond August 24, officials said.

“Depending on how the situation turns out, the fare band may have to adjusted beyond that (August 24) also. But right now, it is only for three months,” Kharola said.

The Centre capped airfares of domestic flights that resumed from May 25 with fixed lower and upper limits.