(Image source from: travelobiz.com)

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) for the travel on Vande Bharat and also commercial flights for inbound and outbound travel.

The central government on Tuesday announced the Standard Operating Procedures for travel on Vande Bharat and commercial flights with Air Bubble agreement for the flights traveling to and from India.

As per the civil aviation ministry’s guidelines, the cost of the flight travel will have to be borne by the travelers themselves.

At the time of the travel, all the travelers must undergo mandatory thermal screening.

Only the asymptomatic passengers will be allowed to be onboard after meticulous checking.

The Ministry of Home Affairs will pick the category of travelers who can board the flights from time to time.

Civil Aviation Ministry will display these categories of passengers list on their website on who can travel out of India.

The eligible passengers must have to apply to the civil aviation agency or their designated agency along with the necessary details.

The travel shall be on non-scheduled commercial flights as and when allowed by the Civil aviation ministry.

When the passengers are onboard, precautions such as wearing face masks, hand hygiene and other such precautions must be observed by the crew and all the passengers.

With regard to the inbound flight, the category of persons eligible to travel will be permitted by the Union Ministry after proper checkings.

Passengers of Vande Bharat flights must register themselves with the Indian Missions abroad.

However, air transport bubble arrangements do not require any such registrations.

The passengers traveling on commercial flights that are under the air bubble agreement will travel by non-scheduled commercial flights that are allowed by the government.

Moreover, for inbound flights too the cost of the travel must be borne by the travelers.

Only the COVID-19 negative crew and staff will be allowed to operate the flights

The External Affairs Ministry will prepare a database of all Vande Bharat travelers and share it with the respective states and Union territories in advance.

Details of the air bubble passengers will be shared with the concerned Indian Missions abroad along with a copy to the state government or the union territory government.

The external affairs ministry and civil aviation ministry will publish online the schedule of incoming flights at least two days in advance.

All the travelers must sign an undertaking that they are making the journey at their own risk.

Guidelines and protocols on quarantine and other COVID measures must be followed by the passengers as and when advised by the corresponding states and countries.

As many as 11,23,000 Indians who are stranded abroad have been brought back under the Vande Bharat mission till now.

The MEA spokesperson Anurag Shrivastava said that in the ongoing phase 5 of the Vande Bharat mission around 500 international flights and 130 domestic flights have been operated from 23 countries across 22 airports across India.

By Gayatri Yellayi