Airline industry sources said the bilateral air bubble pact between the UAE and India is likely to be extended beyond August 31 in view of the expected spurt in demand for travel for the forthcoming IPL
Indian full service private carrier Vistara will operate special flights to Dubai from Mumbai and Bangalore under the ‘air bubble’ arrangement between the UAE and India.
Vistara’s special flight between Dubai and Bangalore will be on Sunday (August 23), while the services between Dubai and Mumbai are slated for 27 and 29 August.
Vistara, a joint venture between the Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, has so far been operating flights to Dubai from only Delhi under the ‘bubble’ arrangement.
The ‘air bubble’ pact between the UAE and India is currently agreed upon until the end of this month.
Airline industry sources said the two countries are likely to extend the bubble arrangement beyond August 31 in view of the expected spurt in demand for travel to the UAE for the forthcoming IPL (Indian Premier League).
There is, however, no official communication on this yet.
India’s national carrier Air India and its sister airline Air Indian Express, besides private carriers IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir, also currently operate special flights between the UAE and various Indian cities under the bubble arrangement.
Indians holding any type of valid visa for the UAE and UAE nationals can travel to Dubai, while UAE nationals holding a valid visa for India, stranded Indian nationals and all overseas citizens of India (OCI) cardholders holding UAE passports are allowed to travel from Dubai to the Indian cities on these special flights.
Emirates last week said it would operate special flights to five Indian cities including Bangalore, Kochi and Trivandrum from August 20 through to the end of the month.
Airline industry sources said the decision of Indian and UAE carriers to add more special flights under the bubble arrangement was a clear reflection of rising demand for travel between the two countries.
While flights from the UAE to India are said to operate at almost full capacity because of the large-scale return of Indian expats, the number of Indians returning to Dubai and other cities in the UAE has also increased of late, after the recent announcement by the emirate making some relaxations in the criteria for expats to return.
According to the Dubai Consulate General of India, over 500,000 Indians have registered with it for repatriation to India, out of which 275,000 have left up to August 2.
