66 airlines, 40+ nations and 3,249 weekly flights: Skies reopen after 2-year pandemic break
NEW DELHI: Six Indian and 60 foreign airlines from 40 countries — but none from China as of now — will from Sunday operate 3,249 weekly flights to and from India under the summer schedule as regular international flights resume after a gap of over two years.
A gradual increase in connectivity to the allowed number of flights is expected to lead to fares falling from the stratospheric levels of the bubble system, which lapses on Saturday. But they are likely to be higher than pre-Covid times due to Russia’s war on Ukraine pushing up oil prices.
At 505 weekly flights, IndiGo will have the highest international departures on a standalone basis among all airlines, followed by Air India at 361, AI Express at 340 and Emirates at 170. Three Tata Group airlines — AI, AI Express and Vistara — will have 757 weekly flights, including the only ones by an Indian carrier to North America, Europe, the Far East and Australia. IndiGo’s Istanbul flight will resume from May 1; its pre-pandemic China flights have not yet restarted.
