India, Nepal launch air bubble arrangement for restarting commercial flights

India and Nepal have agreed to initiate an air bubble scheme to resume commercial flights after months of pandemic disruption.

India suggested an agreement that was cleared after the recent visit of Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla to Kathmandu, an informed source said on Thursday.

“Initially we are starting with one flight daily from each side between Delhi and Kathmandu. From the Indian side, it will be Air India which, in normal times, had a daily flight between Delhi and Kathmandu. We are starting with Indians, Nepalese, OCI/PIO cardholders of all nationalities and all valid Indian visa holders”, said the source, adding that tourist visas would not be considered in the starting phase.

The air bubble arrangement, the source said would follow the normal medical procedures as mandatory in other situations and include the requirement for an RT PCR test report 72 hours prior to flight.

Thursday’s information was given in the context of the 8th meeting of the Joint Working Group on Nepal-India Cooperation in the Power Sector, which was held in virtual mode and headed by the Joint Secretaries of Energy Ministries of both sides. The debate on power transmission is set to begin on Friday.

The Nepalese source said that Nepal had reverted to the Indian plan for an air bubble scheme and cleared it in the first week of this month.

Nepal has banned the entry of all foreign citizens, including foreign nationals, from midnight on 20 March. Subsequently, restricted flight services began with a few countries. In addition, many countries conducted flights to evacuate Nepali citizens during the locking process.