This is great news for overseas travellers as they can resume their visits to India. The reopening of international borders has been long-awaited, there has been a pent-up need to travel to India for passengers waiting to see their family and loved ones.
After 2 years of suspended travel, India will reopen its international borders on March 27th, 2022. Travel industry professionals expect flight fares will be much lower than exorbitant bubble charges, but travellers are made aware that plane fares are unlikely to be close to their pre-pandemic prices. It is estimated that with the reopening of Indian international borders, there is a high opportunity for more connectivity/choices between countries, leading to lower fares. The Ukraine conflict will undoubtedly cast its shadow on these expectations.
The aviation minister says “international operations shall be subject to strict adherence to (current) health ministry guidelines’ India’s strict health guidelines had prohibited the international borders from opening in December 2021 but was abruptly cancelled due to the COVID-19 variant Omicron.
COVID-19 Restrictions in India
From February 14, Individuals from 82 approved countries (including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, Japan, and Thailand) are no longer required to take a pre-departure test to visit India, however, they must present proof of vaccination. Unvaccinated arrivals will need to provide a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours.
How Russian airspace closure impacts routes to India
Unrestricted travel will give individuals more options to choose from, but the rising fuel costs will increase the overall ticket prices. American Airlines and many other airlines have stopped using Russian airspace to fly to India and making additional stops to refuel. On Monday United airlines announced they are suspending Delhi-San Francisco and Mumbai-Newark flight routes as they are no longer fuel or time-efficient as Russian airspace is out of bounds. They will continue shorter Delhi-San Francisco slights. Air India is one of the few airlines that continues to utilize Russia’s airspace.
Travelling in 2022 with Gaura Travel
As there are no quarantine or travel restrictions required in place, plan your journey to reunite with your family & friends with Gaura Travel in this year 2022. Find all available flights options with us.
