After two years of ban, India opens up over 3,000 international flights per week

After taking over Air India from the Indian government, the Tata Group plans to focus on expanding international routes, especially to the US, the group recently told CNBC-TV18.

Indian airlines are approved to operate to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Qatar, Maldives, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Turkey, Malaysia, the UK, France, Kenya, Germany, the US, Canada, Myanmar, Australia, Israel, Bahrain, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, and Russia.

In addition, 60 foreign airlines from 40 countries have also been approved by the DGCA to operate 1,783 departures per week to/from India in the summer schedule. Salam Air, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, Qantas and American Airlines are among the 60 foreign carriers on the list.

Foreign airlines are approved to operate to/from Mauritius, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey, the US, Iraq, Kenya, Bangladesh, Germany, Singapore, Yemen, Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Maldives, Nepal, Iran, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Kuwait, Tanzania, Netherlands, France, Japan, Rwanda, Russia, UAE Australia, Qatar, Ethiopia, Oman, Seychelles, Kazakhstan, UK, Myanmar, Canada, Finland, Poland, Bhutan, and Egypt.

Emirates has been approved to operate the maximum number of departures among all foreign carriers at 170 weekly departures, followed by Sri Lanka Airlines at 128, Oman Air at 115, Air Arabia at 110, and Qatar Airways at 99 weekly departures. US’ United Airlines is approved to operate 28 weekly departures, while American Airlines is approved to operate seven.

Despite the ban, few people were travelling internationally through the Indian government’s air bubble arrangements with various countries. Now, with the bans lifted the airline industry will be able to recover some losses due to the negligible operations in the past two years.