TLI Staff
New Delhi: Private carriers IndiGo and SpiceJet are set to operate flights under Vande Bharat initiative to bring back Indians stranded in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries from first week of June.
While the nodal Civil Aviation Ministry had allocated about 180 flights to private carriers, low-cost carrier GoAir has withdrawn from the fray as it found various operational difficulties in operating the limited foreign flights.
Air India and its low-cost subsidiary Air India Express would mount 130-140 more flights in the second phase of Vande Bharat. The additional flights would bring back Indians from GCC countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to various cities in Kerala.
Air India has led from the front in operating hundreds of evacuation flights in the last two months of Coronavirus-afflicted lockdown. Thousands of Indians stranded across more than 40 countries including US, Australia, Canada and UK are being brought back under Vande Bharat mission. The phase-II of the Mission has started from May 17 and would continue till June 17, 2020.
“IndiGo and SpiceJet are expected to operate flights from first week of June. They are awaiting clear guidelines from the government for these flights,” said an airline executive.
The private airlines would charge the airfares being offered by Air India on various India-Gulf routes. But it has to be seen if the private carriers start special flights as given the social distancing norms and moderate fares fixed in consultation with government they may not find it lucrative.
Sources said that Air India had proposed to operate all flights but it was later decided by Aviation Ministry to include private carriers also for the Vande Bharat Mission.
GoAir is learnt to have conveyed to Aviation Ministry about its inability to operate foreign flights due to several practical difficulties. In their cost-benefit analysis, the Wadia Group airline found it a losing proposition besides uncertainties around SOPs followed by various countries.
One of the key issues that the airline was faced is related to pilots and crew members in case they are found to have high temperature.
“Even if they do not test positive for Coronavirus, there could be mandatory quarantine for certain days. So, the airline decided to not participate in the Vande Bharat mission,” an industry source said.
Air India and Air India Express have already operated 149 repatriation flights to 31 countries between May 16 and May 22 in the second phase of Vande Bharat Mission.
India started Vande Bharat Mission – one of the largest initiatives to repatriate nationals back to India, on 7th May 2020. Under this mission, Ministry of Civil Aviation is coordinating with Ministry of External Affairs and state Governments for bringing stranded Indians back to their homeland.
Air India along with its subsidiary Air India Express operated a total of 64 flights (42 by Air India and 24 by Air India Express) to 12 countries such as USA, UK Bangladesh, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Philippines, UAE and Malaysia to repatriate 14,800 Indians.