Traveling to India? Travelers must need to aware of this news. India has led to easing of the Coronavirus-related travel restrictions as Covid-19 cases are decreasing day by day. However, India extends its ban on some scheduled international flights till February 28, barring certain special international flights operating under the Vande Bharat Mission and those operating under bilateral ‘air bubble’ agreements. So far, as many as 24 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States and the Maldives, have signed an international travel agreement with India.
Travel requirements are evolving every day, which can make it hard to stay up-to-date with the most relevant to you. We are trying to keep the news-bulletin page and our social media up-to-date regarding the current travel restrictions of Coronavirus disease.
Government Travel Restrictions When Traveling to India
The major disaster of COVID-19 has affected international travel to such an extent that air travel is subject to a wide range of regulations and restrictions. With airlines resuming services and countries re-opening airports in the midst of a pandemic, international travel is becoming more complicated. From booking air tickets to boarding flights, each step involves certain rules for travelers.
The government remains cautious when it comes to international travel in the context of growing concerns about the transmission of the new Coronavirus strains in the United Kingdom and South Africa. India also suspended flight operations with the United Kingdom as a new strain (considered to be more virulent) surfaced.
In the current scenario of changing Covid-19 air travel guidelines, you need to be well-informed about your travel eligibility, the entry requirements of the destination country and the SOP of the operating airline.
Emirates Changes COVID-19 PCR Test Entry Requirements
Delhi
In the national capital, Delhi International Airport allows international travelers coming to India with the requirement of mandatory quarantine along with the negative RT-PCR test certificate carried out within 72 hours of departure. Those who do not carry the legitimate Covid-19 negative certificate will have to comply with mandatory institutional quarantine for 7 days.
The cost of the quarantine will be carried by the passengers, followed by 7 days of home quarantine. A compulsory Covid test is required for people coming from the United Kingdom, both in the United Kingdom and in India. Even those who test negative will have to undergo 14-day home quarantine tests. To be sure, the cost of the RT PCR test in India will be borne by the passengers themselves.
Airline Launches Digital Health Passport
Bengaluru
Travelers landing in Bengaluru airport will have to present a negative certificate that has been issued within 72 hours from departure. Having a legitimate negative certificate will also allow passengers to be barred from quarantine at home. However, those who do not have negative certificates will have to undergo a compulsory RT-PCR test at the airport. They will have to stay in their home confinement until the results are out. Passengers can also pre-book an airport test
Moreover, those coming from the UK should have a negative test result taken within 72 hours of their departure. They will also have to take an additional Covid test at Bengaluru airport, followed by a quarantine procedure.
Airlines Are Offering COVID-19 Testing
Mumbai
The passengers coming from the United Kingdom, the Middle East, South Africa, and Europe will be subject to mandatory institutional quarantine for up to 14 days. If anyone wishes to be exempted from institutional quarantine, it will only be considered in exceptional cases, given that the RT-PCR test is negative. Those coming from other countries will have to be isolated from their own homes for 14 days if they do not have a negative RT PCR test.
Hyderabad
All the passengers disembarking at the Hyderabad international airport will have to fill up a health reporting form to the Airport Health Organization along with a duplicate stamped copy to immigration. Passengers will need to submit the online form at least 72 hours before the time of travel. An undertaking stating the mandatory 14-day quarantine will also have to be submitted where passengers will need to stay in institutional quarantine for a week and the second week under home isolation. Passengers submitting a negative RT-PCR test at their airport are likely to be exempted from the quarantine.
