After a long hiatus, Air India, India’s most popular airline, is now set to resume services to the Maldives. Through their Twitter account, Air India published their itinerary, which includes flights linking India and Male. “Now fly non-stop from Mumbai to Male every Wednesday and Saturday, commencing from July 28, 2021,” says an Air India tweet.
#FlyAI : Now fly non-stop from Mumbai to Male every Wednesday and Saturday, starting from 28th,July 2021. pic.twitter.com/awWr5XGsjD
— Air India (@airindiain) July 21, 2021
Beginning July 28, 2021, non-stop flights will be available between Mumbai and Male. The flight will be taken twice a week, Wednesday and Saturday.
According to the airline’s itinerary, AI 267 will depart Mumbai at 10:00 and arrive in Male at 12:20 local time. The identical flights will depart Male Airport at 13:30 local time and arrive at 16:50 at Mumbai Airport.
The airline will use an Airbus 32-B aircraft with two classes of service: Business and Economic. In addition, Air India is offering a special promotional fare as well as a baggage allowance. The airline also stated that reservations for the tickets had begun to be accepted. These flights will be run under the Central Government’s Vande Bharat Mission, which aims to repatriate Indians who have become stuck abroad.
The island nation has reopened its borders to visitors from South Asian countries such as India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka since July 15, 2021.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih of the Maldives made the much-anticipated statement, but he also stated that the government would regularly monitor COVID pandemic status between July 1 and 15.
IndiGo and India’s private aviation carrier Go First, formerly known as GoAir, launched a direct flight service twice a week between Mumbai and Male on July 15, 2021.
Until July 30, 2021, visitors visiting the Maldives from South Asian nations are not authorized to stay at tourist facilities on inhabited islands.
The Maldives became one of the most popular overseas destinations among travelers traveling from Mumbai, thanks to the Government of India’s Air Bubble arrangement. Between Mumbai and Male, more than 371 flights carried 46,735 people in 2020.
Read More: Air India to resume flights back with Singapore
This development follows the Maldives government’s decision to provide South Asians visas-on-arrival and allow them to stay in tourist resorts beginning July 15, 2021. In addition, the Maldives government has published a list of resorts, along with their respective opening dates, to assist tourists in making travel plans.
To be eligible for these benefits, Passengers must show proof of a confirmed pre-booking at a tourist attraction, and their passports must be valid for at least one month from the date of departure from the Maldives. Passengers must also have a negative RT-PCR test result from 96 hours before their arrival.
Vande Bharat Mission flight to Thailand
Air India has also scheduled two extra flights between Thailand and India as part of the Central government’s Vande Bharat Mission. The India Embassy in Thailand provided additional information on the flight itinerary, stating that the next Vande Bharat Mission flight from Bangkok to Delhi will take place on July 30, 2021.
Flights to Canada
Canada is also expected to relax travel restrictions for vaccinated Indians; currently, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson have vaccinations licensed in Canada. Those who have not been appropriately vaccinated or who have received an unauthorized vaccine will face restrictions. For visitors from India, the Canadian government has implemented several rules.
The prohibition on direct flights from India has been extended until August 21 in Canada. The restriction, which went into effect on April 22, was set to end on July 21. Canada has now extended the ban for the fourth time. Fears of a deadly second Covid-19 wave raging in India and transmission of the highly contagious Delta variant prompted the authorities to suspend direct flights.
