Bengaluru to be 'reconnected' to 14 international destinations via Vande Bharat, air bubble pacts, says BIAL

Bangalore International Airport on Tuesday said as many as 13 international airlines will be operatings to 14 overseas destinations from its facility under various initiatives of the government to help people fly in times of the coronavirus pandemic. International repatriation flights, Vande Bharat Mission and air bubble pacts have enabled Kempegowda International Airport to reconnect Bengaluru to 14 international destinations, Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) said in a statement. Under these various arrangements, 13 airlines will operate on these sectors from Bengaluru airport. The destinations are Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Dubai, Doha, Frankfurt, Kuwait, Kuala Lumpur, London, Muscat, Narita, Paris, Riyadh, Singapore and San Francisco, BIAL said. It added that the airlines that will operate the flights include Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, GoAir, Vistara, Etihad and Emirates, among others. Scheduled international passenger flights in and out of India are on halt since 23 March amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, special repatriation flights and international charter flights have been permitted by aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Moreover, since July, India has entered into air bubble agreements with several countries including the US, the UAE, France and Germany, under which airlines of both the countries are allowed to operate international flights with certain restrictions.