Corporate Newsletter October 2021 (2.0)

News at a Glance:

Updated state-wise travel guidelines & restrictions:

Click here for the latest state wise travel guidelines and restrictions. It is imperative to check the updated protocols of the state that you are travelling to as airlines will deny boarding if you are not in compliance with the arriving state’s travel regulations.

Govt removes restrictions on domestic flights capacity:

Domestic airlines will now be able to operate at 100% of their pre-Covid capacity from 18th October. The Ministry of Civil Aviation had capped domestic airline capacity since May 2020. Currently, the cap for domestic flights was at 85% of the airline capacity. 

Mumbai airport reopens Terminal 1 for domestic flights from 13th Oct ’21:

Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has reopened its Terminal 1 for domestic flights from October 13.

On October 4, Mumbai Airport announced the reopening of its domestic passenger terminal T1 from midnight of October 20, but later preponed it to October 13 due to a surge in the volume of traffic because of the festive season. Following the announcement, GoFirst has resumed all their domestic operations from T1 from October 13 and Air Asia India has resumed operations from October 16.

Indigo will resume services for flight numbers 6E 5200 – 5399 from T1 with effect from 31st Oct ’21.

Night operations at Pune airport to continue to remain shut till end Nov:

The Pune airport which is closed for 14 days between October 14 and October 29 will resume operations from October 30 only in the day from 8am to 8pm till the end of November.

The night operations at Pune airport has been closed since October 2020 for runway repair work and round the clock operations is expected to resume only in the 1st week of December.

Tata Sons wins the bid for Air India:

Salt-to-software conglomerate Tata Group has won the bid to acquire debt-laden state-run Air India by bidding Rs 18,000 crore for acquiring 100 per cent shareholding which includes taking over Rs 15,300 crore of debt and paying Rs 2700 Cr to the Govt.

Tata also owns majority stakes in Vistara, a premium joint venture with Singapore Airlines and AirAsia India, a low-cost carrier with AirAsia Group. Having three airlines is likely to put Tata in a strong bargaining position with aircraft manufacturers, engine makers and lessors, as well as with suppliers, airport operators and fuel companies.

Jhunjhunwala's Akasa Air gets NOC, set to start operations by mid-2022:

Rakesh Jhunjhunwala promoted Akasa Air has received the No-Objection Certificate from the aviation ministry and the airline plans to start operations by middle of next year.

The airline will now apply to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for an Air Operators Permit or AOP. The airline will be able to start operations after they receive the AOP, which may take between three to six months.

Air India resumes bi-weekly direct flight to Tel Aviv (Israel):

Air India resumes bi-weekly direct flight to Tel Aviv (Israel) with the following schedule with effect from 06th November ’21:

Air India increases the frequency of its Chicago flights:

A day after the US allowed fully vaccinated foreign travellers to enter the country from November 8, Air India has announced that it will increase the flight frequency of its flight from Delhi to Chicago from 6 days to 7 days a week with effect from November 3.

Qantas to commence direct flights between Sydney and Delhi:

Qantas will commence thrice-a-week direct flights between Sydney and Delhi with effect from 6th Dec ’21. Flight schedule is as below and the flight will operate on days 1, 4 and 6 (i.e. Monday, Thursday and Saturday). All times mentioned below are local times.

Through-fares are available on Air India from 20 cities across India i.e. passengers can fly from 20 Indian cities into Delhi on Air India, to board the direct Qantas flight. Immigration will however take place at Delhi Airport.

The initial flights are limited to Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate families and parents (who also should be Australian citizens/ PR holders or have sought an exemption to travel from the Dept of Home Affairs). All passengers will be required to be fully vaccinated with a TGA-approved vaccine (that includes Covishield), unless they have an exemption.

Please click here for details on travel restrictions and exemptions.

Use Emirates boarding pass to avail freebies, discounts:

My Emirates Pass is back with an exclusive edition to celebrate Expo 2020 Dubai. With the Emirates boarding pass, passengers can avail discounts at retail, dining and recreational attractions across Dubai and the UAE including a complimentary access to the Dubai Frame, one of the city’s attractions which offers a panoramic view of old and new Dubai.

Emirates is offering Expo 2020 visitors a free PCR test on arrival in Dubai. Customers simply need to show their Expo 2020 pass to avail of a complimentary test in a specially set-up testing lounge located in the arrivals hall at Dubai airport Terminal 3. Complimentary PCR testing is also available in a facility located next to the Expo 2020 venue. The Expo 2020 visitors above the age of 18 should be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and non-

vaccinated visitors should hold a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours.

Etihad offers 50% off on extra legroom seats in Economy Class:

 Etihad has introduced a 50% off their extra legroom seats in economy class when the booking is made by 31st December 2021.

In addition, Etihad is giving away complimentary tickets to Expo 2020 with every flight to Abu Dhabi from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. Expo 2020 is just a 45-minute drive from Abu Dhabi, besides there is a free shuttle bus service directly from Abu Dhabi airport to Expo 2020.

US all set to open to fully vaccinated travellers from November 8:

The United States of America is all set to reopen to fully vaccinated travellers from November 8 for both international air travel and land travel.

Fully vaccinated travellers from India, China, Britain, South Africa, Iran and Brazil, along with 26 European countries, including France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, and Greece would be allowed to travel to the United States from November 8.

As regarding COVID protocols to visit the US, those coming from the said countries would be required to show a proof of vaccination before boarding the flight, and they would also be required to submit a negative COVID-19 test. Further, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) is planning to issue new rules regarding contact tracing for international air travellers.

Singapore to allow entry to Indian travellers from 27th Oct:

From October 27, Singapore will allow certain categories of travellers from India to travel to and transit from Singapore. Those travelling to Singapore will be subject to the tightest border measures which involves a 10-day stay-home quarantine period (Category IV border measure).