Air Bubble Agreement with Sri Lanka

Currently, regular international commercial flight operations remain suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Indian government recently extended the ban on international commercial flights until at least April 30. However, special cargo flights, flights under bilateral bubble pacts with some countries, will continue to be operated. India now has such pacts with 28 countries, including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Canada, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Maldives, Nigeria, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. India is one of Sri Lanka`s highest tourist sources. Following the outbreak of the virus in March last year, Sri Lanka closed its borders and only reopened them in December 2020, with protocols established for inbound testing, quarantine and travel within the country. Sri Lanka has seen a gradual increase over the past four months, recording 4,581 tourists from some countries in March 2021. Just before the pandemic hit, Sri Lanka received 2,28,434 tourists in January 2020 and the highest percentage of arrivals came from India at 18%. ii.

Any Indian national holding a valid visa from Afghanistan and destined only for Afghanistan. It would be up to the relevant airlines to ensure that there are no travel restrictions for Indian nationals to enter Afghanistan with the respective visa category before issuing the ticket/boarding pass to the Indian passenger. In particular, current international flights are operated under the "air bubble" agreements between India and other countries. The two governments discussed ways to improve connectivity with the airport to help Buddhist pilgrims to Sri Lanka visit important religious sites in India. "Once the pandemic situation has subsided, we will be able to complete it," the official said. As part of an air bubble agreement, two countries create a set of regulations and restrictions and sign a bilateral pact that allows airlines from both countries to operate international flights between them. The Ministry of Civil Aviation announced on its official Twitter account that India had signed an air bubble agreement with Sri Lanka. "India has reached an air bubble agreement with Sri Lanka, making it the 6th such arrangement in the SAARC region and the 28th overall," he said in a tweet.

Other countries that have signed similar pacts with India include Afghanistan, France, Canada, Germany, maldives, the United States, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. Currently, all international flights to and from India are suspended, without those that are specifically authorized or fall under the bubble agreements. Reopening Sri Lanka to Indian travelers would create interesting competition with the Maldives, which has been one of the most popular destinations for Indians since the easing of travel restrictions. The Indian government has signed an air bubble agreement with Sri Lanka that allows all eligible passengers to travel between the two countries, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) announced on Twitter on Saturday. "India has reached an air bubble agreement with Sri Lanka, making it the 6th such arrangement in the SAARC region and the 28th such agreement. overall," the Civil Aviation Ministry said on Twitter. This special arrangement imposes certain conditions as well as the permits required for the travel of passengers. Less than two weeks ago, India`s Ministry of Civil Aviation announced the establishment of a "bilateral air bubble agreement" with Sri Lanka for the operation of special international passenger flights between the two countries. India has reached a bilateral air bubble agreement with Sri Lanka for the operation of special international passenger flights between the two countries, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Saturday. Travel between India and Sri Lanka will become easier in the near future, as both countries have signed an "air bubble" agreement.

I. stranded Canadian nationals/residents and foreign nationals with a valid Canadian visa who are eligible to enter Canada; A bilateral air bubble is a mechanism to resume flights between two countries with prerequisites during the pandemic. India has signed an air travel agreement with Bangladesh for October 28, 2020. This regulation is valid until 31 January 2021. Indian and Bangladeshi airlines are now allowed to operate flights between India and Bangladesh and carry the following groups of people on those flights: India has created an air traffic bubble with Afghanistan....