Corporate Newsletter September 2021 (2.0)

Airlines stop PPE kits for middle seat passengers:

With effect from August 25, domestic airlines have stopped giving wrap-around gowns to middle-seat passengers following a relaxation granted by the ministry of health. In addition, airlines don’t have to give passengers other protective gear like masks, face shields or hand sanitizers too. Airlines only have to ensure that passengers are wearing masks/face covers.

However, the airline operators have to keep a reserve of masks, face shield, hand-sanitizer etc for passengers in case of non-availability/such items needs replacement. This decision was taken by the health ministry after seeing a declining trajectory of cases across the country.

Govt allows airlines to operate more flights; halves fare cap period:

With effect from September 18, DGCA has allowed airlines to deploy 85% of their capacity up from 72.5% and halved the fare cap period to 15 days from booking a ticket. The higher flight capacity limit will help airlines introduce more flights as demand for domestic travel rises ahead of the festive season of Durga Puja and Diwali.

Regarding the fare cap period, a person booking 15 days out will find fares that are within an upper and lower limit. For example, someone booking on September 20th will find the fare caps on flights till October 4. Beyond that there will be no caps. This objective is to regulate last minute fares that usually have the propensity to spurt the most.

The minimum and maximum fares for short haul flights range between Rs 2,900 and Rs 8,800 while those for the long haul flights are between Rs 9,800 and Rs 27,200.

Covid effect - Avail “Pranaam Guest Services” at CSMIA:

'Pranaam Guest Services' is designed to provide guests a seamless and stress-free experience while travelling through Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), Mumbai. It simplifies your journey right from the time you arrive at the airport, regardless of the airline or class of travel.

It offers customized packages and an array of services to meet your requirements including professional assistance to corporate clients, warmth and care to family and elderly guests, and secured transit to young guests to make your journey a memorable experience.

Services for international departure for elite category costs ₹6,850 per person and ₹5,000 for the platinum category. The services included porter services, lounge access, facilitation through immigrations and VIP security lanes, buggy and assistance from entry up till boarding gate.

The same services for domestic passengers are ₹3,500 (for Elite) and ₹2,500 (for Platinum). The same services are also given to arriving passengers.

Emirates offers up to 20% off on flights to Dubai:

There’s so much happening in Dubai, and with Expo 2020 starting soon the city is already high on everyone’s list. And now Emirates customers can get up to 20% off their flights when they book by 3 October 2021 for travel from 10 January 2022 to 31 March 2022. This offer is valid for return flights to Dubai in Business and Economy class.

In addition, when customers fly to Dubai during the global showcase, they can claim a complimentary Expo 2020 Dubai Day Pass for everyone in their booking.

SpiceJet will also resume flight operation to Dubai from Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Mangalore, Amritsar, Calicut and Kochi from 1st Oct ’21. Please contact our team for flight schedule and fares.

Vistara to start bi-weekly Delhi-Paris flights from 7 November:

Full-service airline Vistara, will be operating direct bi-weekly flights between New Delhi and Paris from 7 November under a bilateral air bubble agreement between the two countries. Vistara will operate its Boeing 787 aircraft on New Delhi-Paris route.

At present, national carrier Air India and Air France are the two carriers that operate non-stop flights between the two countries.

Air Canada to resume direct flights between Delhi and Toronto:

Canada's largest airline, Air Canada, is resuming operations in India after a four-month-long suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic from Monday, September 27 between Delhi and Toronto.

Passengers travelling to Canada must carry an RT-PCR test or Rapid PCR test taken not more than 18 hours before departure ONLY from the COVID-19 Testing Centre & Lounge across from Terminal 3 at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. No other test from any other clinic within India will be accepted, even if you are connecting from a different city.

The flight schedule between Delhi and Toronto is as follows:

New countries open to fully vaccinated Indian travelers:

Czech Republic opens up to fully vaccinated travelers:

Fully vaccinated visitors from India can enter the Czech Republic without restrictions. They just need to present their vaccination certificate.

Fully vaccinated Indians can now travel to Turkey with no quarantine rule:

As per the latest travel guidelines issued by Turkish Embassy in New Delhi, fully vaccinated travellers with WHO-approved doses will be exempted from mandatory quarantine provided at least 14 days have passed since their last dose.

Travellers from India to Turkey need to carry a negative RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours before arrival in Turkey.

No quarantine needed to travel to Kenya:

Kenya has dropped the quarantine requirement for passengers from India. The country has also revoked the flight ban and there will now be regular flights from Mumbai to Nairobi thrice a week—on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

On arrival, travellers must present a negative PCR test report undertaken less than 96 hours before departure. Once you have presented your test report, you are free from the 14-day quarantine mandate.

Along with getting tested, passengers would need to fill out the travel surveillance form and avail the necessary vaccines like the yellow fever vaccine prior to arrival.

UK accepts Covishield, but Indians have to quarantine on arrival:

The United Kingdom has announced a major relaxation of international travel rules for vaccinated people coming in and out of England. With effect from October 4, the current traffic light system of red, amber and green countries based on levels of Covid-19 risk will be scrapped and replaced with one red list only.

While India is not on UK’s red list AND the government has recognized Covishield, fully vaccinated Indians will still not be considered as vaccinated in the UK and will continue to undergo the 10-day quarantine currently in place.

This is because UK has raised doubts over Indian Covid vaccination certification process. The British High Commissioner to India, Alex Ellis has said that they are having detailed technical discussions regarding certification with the builders of the CoWIN app and the NHS app. He is hopeful of a solution where both countries mutually recognize the vaccine certificates issued by each other.

US to lift Covid travel ban for vaccinated travellers from November:

The US will allow fully vaccinated individuals to enter the country beginning in November under a new international travel system. The move essentially also lifts the travel ban on countries such as India that the US had earlier enforced. Vaccinated people from countries like India can now travel to the US with proof of their vaccination and there will be no quarantine requirements as well.

The US Consulate has still not resumed processing of B1 / B2 visas in India.