Vistara To Operate Special Flights On Delhi-London Route From August 28

Vistara on Tuesday said it will operate special flights on the Delhi-London route from August 28 to September 30 as part of the bilateral air bubble arrangement signed between India and the UK.

Moreover, the full-service carrier is seeking necessary regulatory approvals to soon operate similar special flights to Paris in France and Frankfurt in Germany, it said in a press release.

Under a bilateral air bubble pact, airlines of both the countries can operate international flights with certain restrictions.

Since July, India has established such bubbles with the following countries - the US, the UK, France, Germany, the UAE, Qatar and the Maldives. India is negotiating with 13 other countries to establish similar bubbles.

Between August 28 and September 30, Vistara said it will fly thrice a week on Delhi-London route - on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The Delhi-London flights would be operated on its newly-inducted B787-9 aircraft, it noted.

The airline has a fleet of 43 aircraft, including 34 Airbus A320, one Airbus

A321neo, six Boeing 737-800NG, and two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.

Scheduled international passenger flights continue to remain suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, special international flights have been operating with the approval of aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

After a gap of two months due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown, India resumed domestic passenger flights on May 25. However, the average occupancy rate in Indian domestic flights has been around just 50-60 per cent since May 25.

The aviation sector has been significantly impacted due to the travel restrictions imposed in India and other countries in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

All airlines in India have taken cost-cutting measures such as pay cuts, leave-without-pay and firings of employees in order to conserve cash.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)