India to resume select International flights as COVID-19 cases near a million mark.
India crossed the 30 thousand daily mark to raise its Coronavirus tally to 968,876; Civil Aviation Ministry to establish air bubbles with France and the US.
India’s COVID-19 tally increased to 968,876 on Thursday, after it witnessed the biggest single-day rise in the total number of infections with 32,969 cases. The number of deaths in the country due to the coronavirus rose to 24,915. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced the numbers registered in the last 24 hours.
Indian Council of Medical Research revealed that till July 15, as many as 1,27,39,490 samples have been tested for the fatal virus. On Wednesday itself, 326,926 samples were tested.
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri announces resuming international commercial flights:
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday announced the resumption of international commercial flights. In the announcement, Puri said that flights are allowed to operate from the US and France as India established individual bilateral bubbles with both the countries. Puri also revealed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, air bridges or air bubbles would be the only way for the resumption of international travel. Puri said, ”Till international civil aviation can reclaim its pre-COVID numbers, I think the answer will lie through bilateral air bubbles which will carry a possible number of people but under defined conditions as countries are still imposing entry restrictions including India.”
The US to fly 18 flights to India between July 17-31:
Hardeep Singh Puri also said that Air France will operate 28 flights from July 18 to August 1st between Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Paris. The civil aviation minister also announced that the US carriers would fly 18 flights between 17 and 31st July to facilitate people who have been stranded amid the global lockdown.
