Indian airlines tap international routes under 'travel bubbles'
At a time when the global aviation industry has been drastically hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, India's airlines appear to be turning the crisis into an opportunity by expanding their international operations under the ongoing "travel bubble" arrangements. The latest company to join the bandwagon is low-budget carrier SpiceJet, which earlier this month announced that on Dec. 4 it will launch non-stop services connecting Delhi and Mumbai with London's Heathrow Airport. "For SpiceJet, this is a big step [as] it's the first time we are starting scheduled long-haul operations," said Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh during an online briefing to announce the London flights. The airline has until now been flying to international destinations closer to India such as Bangkok and Hong Kong. "More importantly, we are the second-largest airline in India and connect destinations in small towns [in the country]," he said, pointing out that many people from these places want to travel to London, while passengers arriving from the British capital will also be able to travel to other Indian cities on SpiceJet's domestic network. Singh said SpiceJet would soon be announcing more long-haul flights. SpiceJet's flights will operate under an "air bubble" agreement between India and the UK. This is a temporary bilateral arrangement aimed at restarting commercial passenger services when regular international flights are suspended due to the pandemic. India has entered into such pacts with more than a dozen countries including the US, Canada, France and Germany. With the London flights, SpiceJet has become the first Indian low-cost carrier and only the third airline in the country to fly to the UK -- the other two being state-run Air India and Vistara. The gap left by Jet Airways, which was grounded last year, is also expected to work in SpiceJet's favor.In August, Vistara, a full-service airline, started flying non-stop on the Delhi-London route -- where it deployed its new wide-body Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft -- as part of the transport bubble, marking its foray into long-haul international operations. Story has a lot more detail.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2020-10-15/general/indian-airlines-tap-international-routes-under-travel-bubbles
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Indian airlines tap international routes under 'travel bubbles'
At a time when the global aviation industry has been drastically hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, India's airlines appear to be turning the crisis into an opportunity by expanding their international operations under the ongoing "travel bubble" arrangements. The latest company to join the bandwagon is low-budget carrier SpiceJet, which earlier this month announced that on Dec. 4 it will launch non-stop services connecting Delhi and Mumbai with London's Heathrow Airport. "For SpiceJet, this is a big step [as] it's the first time we are starting scheduled long-haul operations," said Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh during an online briefing to announce the London flights. The airline has until now been flying to international destinations closer to India such as Bangkok and Hong Kong. "More importantly, we are the second-largest airline in India and connect destinations in small towns [in the country]," he said, pointing out that many people from these places want to travel to London, while passengers arriving from the British capital will also be able to travel to other Indian cities on SpiceJet's domestic network. Singh said SpiceJet would soon be announcing more long-haul flights. SpiceJet's flights will operate under an "air bubble" agreement between India and the UK. This is a temporary bilateral arrangement aimed at restarting commercial passenger services when regular international flights are suspended due to the pandemic. India has entered into such pacts with more than a dozen countries including the US, Canada, France and Germany. With the London flights, SpiceJet has become the first Indian low-cost carrier and only the third airline in the country to fly to the UK -- the other two being state-run Air India and Vistara. The gap left by Jet Airways, which was grounded last year, is also expected to work in SpiceJet's favor.In August, Vistara, a full-service airline, started flying non-stop on the Delhi-London route -- where it deployed its new wide-body Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft -- as part of the transport bubble, marking its foray into long-haul international operations. Story has a lot more detail.<br/>
