Transit travel to/from India under the 'air bubble' agreements [ends 27 March 2022]
Sep 22, 2020, 4:34 am
#31
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Sep 22, 2020, 11:12 pm
#32
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Can agree, the transit flights were available a few days ago, now they are not available at least until Oct 18 on Etihad. The flights still run, but you can't get on them if you are a transit passenger. EY told me all passengers who were booked like this and were transiting have had their itinerary canceled. But no one could tell me where the directive for this had come from. I know for sure that at least a month ago, people were transiting on these flights to India from the US. Maybe India just wants people to take direct flights on Air India instead :/
Sep 23, 2020, 2:10 am
#33
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The 'directive' is quite clear: the bubble agreement the UAE and Qatar signed with the Indian Govt cleary says its for travel between the UAE/Qatar and India only.
Sep 23, 2020, 4:18 am
#34
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Can agree, the transit flights were available a few days ago, now they are not available at least until Oct 18 on Etihad. The flights still run, but you can't get on them if you are a transit passenger. EY told me all passengers who were booked like this and were transiting have had their itinerary canceled. But no one could tell me where the directive for this had come from. I know for sure that at least a month ago, people were transiting on these flights to India from the US. Maybe India just wants people to take direct flights on Air India instead :/
If EY/EK were selling these tickets earlier they were breaking the law.
Sep 23, 2020, 12:30 pm
#35
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So is it still okay to transit through France, Germany, or UK? US citizen OCI planning to travel LAX/CDG/BOM/CDG/LAX in November. I want confirm this has not changed. Rumors were swirling in Indian media that all transit through a different country was being disallowed.
Last edited by PilgrimsProgress; Sep 23, 2020 at 12:41 pm
Sep 23, 2020, 12:38 pm
#36
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Sep 23, 2020, 2:24 pm
#37
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Any foreigner with OCI or valid visa can use AF/KL/BA/LH to come in and out of India. On QR/EY/EK only Indians and Qatari/UAEmirati citizens are allowed. I suppose the ME3 didn't cough up enough cash to the Minister 
Sep 23, 2020, 4:39 pm
#38
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Thanks for the plausible explanation, I was wondering why the European and ME carriers are being treated differently. How come KL - there is no bubble with the Netherlands!? Can someone confirm that flights via AMS are okay - seems to be fine even though it's not an air bubble!!
Last edited by PilgrimsProgress; Sep 23, 2020 at 9:15 pm
Sep 24, 2020, 7:03 am
#40
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Thanks for the plausible explanation, I was wondering why the European and ME carriers are being treated differently. How come KL - there is no bubble with the Netherlands!? Can someone confirm that flights via AMS are okay - seems to be fine even though it's not an air bubble!!
Sep 24, 2020, 10:07 am
#42
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posted this in another thread but realized its more appropriate here:
just got back from usa a couple of nights ago & its a travel experience i won't soon forget....
my flight was originally jfk-ams-del but since india has not established a travel bubble with the netherlands yet, my flight was changed to jfk-cdg-del....
2 days before my flight i got my rt-pcr test done & received my negative result the day of my flight....i had already filled out the self reporting form on the air suvidha website & applied for exemption from the 7 day institutional quarantine by uploading my negative covid report when i got it....just before i was leaving for the airport i got my exemption certificate so i managed to print out 2 copies to carry with me....
terminal 1 in jfk was fairly empty....i was the only passenger in the business class line while there were maybe a dozen passengers in the economy check-in counters....before i could reach the check-in counter i was stopped by an agent & made to fill out a form which was basically an undertaking that neither me nor my legal heirs could sue air france in the event i contracted covid on the flight & died....after filling out the form i got to the check-in counter....the agent asked me if i had registered with the indian mission in france & provided me with a link if i had not done so....i told him i had already & he asked me to show him the email i received with the confirmation of having done so....i showed him the email & a couple of minutes later i had my boarding pass in hand....
the security line was also empty....they had shut down the tsa pre-check lane since the number of passengers was too small but there was no one at the line before me so i went through pretty quickly....the only problem was taking off my belt & taking out my laptop from my bag, which i would not have had to do had tsa pre-check line been open....
the terminal was pretty dead & about 75% of the shops were closed....luckily the air france lounge was open so i made my way there....the lounge offerings were pretty basic....no fresh food....everything was pre-packaged & there were tons of chips & popcorn & other snack packets available....i was informed that boarding would first begin from the back rows so business class would board last....
boarding was very organised with them starting to board through the back rows....they boarded economy first, then premium economy & finally business class last....i don't think there were more than 35-40 passengers on the flight....business class had only 4 passengers including me....
the flight from jfk-cdg was fairly uneventful....masks had to be worn throughout the duration of the flight....dinner was served half an hour after takeoff....snacks & drinks were available throughout the flight....an hour before landing breakfast was served....the flight landed in cdg an hour & 15 minutes before schedule....
cdg was a little busier than the other airports i had been to over the last one week....it took me almost 30 minutes to go through security....most shops in the terminal were open & social distance was not really being maintained....i headed over to the lounge which was also very busy....food options were limited but there were both hot & cold items on offer, along with a lot of pre-packaged stuff....
boarding was once again taking place in reverse order so the last rows of economy boarded first....after economy class they boarded premium economy & finally business class in the end....at boarding they made everyone fill out the same undertaking i filled out at jfk....they also asked for proof of having registered with the indian mission in france....finally they handed each passenger a packet with a mask & shield....the mask had to be worn for the duration of the flight while the shield had to be worn in del....i was the only passenger in business class while there must have been less than 40 passengers in total on the entire flight....
the flight was again uneventful....lunch was served half an hour after takeoff....lots of snacks available throughout the flight & a hot snack was served an hour before landing....everything was served in proper cutlery like the previous flight....the health declaration forms were handed out mid flight....i had already filled these out & had 2 copies but decided to also fill in the one they handed on the flight since i didn't want to take a risk with them not accepting the one i had filled in earlier....
the flight landed on time & an announcement was made that both the mask & shields were required to be worn at the airport....i was the first one to get off the plane & made it to the health declaration counter before anyone else....there was a separate line for those who had an exemption certificate so i got into that line....the agent asked for a copy of the exemption so i handed it over to him....he glanced at it & waived me through....i tried to hand him the health declaration form but he said it was not required as i already was approved for exemption....
next i made it to the immigration counter....the officer asked for the health form & i handed it to him....he looked at it & said it was not stamped....i told him i tried to hand it over at the previous counter but the agent there said that i didn't need it since i had an exemption certificate....he said i would need to go back & get it stamped....so i did & once again they refused to stamp it saying that i had exemption....i told them immigration would not let me through if i didn't have the stamped form so they reluctantly stamped it....
i made it back to the immigration counter with the stamped form & the officer asked for my boarding pass & passport....he scanned my boarding pass & then had a confused look on his face....i asked him what was wrong & he said that my flight had still not landed....that was amusing to me since i was standing there in front of him having disembarked from the flight he claimed was still in the air....by this time the other passengers had also reached the immigration counter & none of them were being let through since the system in all the counters showed that the flight had still not landed....this prompted a master reset of the system which took about 15 minutes....after that the flight showed as having landed so i was able to pass through immigration....
duty free was fairly empty & my baggage was already waiting for me by the time i got to baggage claim....
after getting my bags i tried to exit the terminal but was stopped at the exit by security who asked me if i had filled in the mandatory quarantine form....i told them i had an exemption certificate but he insisted i had to fill up the form....not wanting to argue, i took the form from him....he told me to fill it up & submit it at a temporary counter set up nearby....i started to fill out the form but stopped when i read the first line that stated that i only had to fill out the form if i did not have an exemption certificate from air suvidha....i took the empty form & my exemption certificate to the counter & asked them if i had to fill out the form....the agents at the counter seemed confused & had no idea what the exemption certificate was for or from where i got it....they told me i had to fill out the form & acknowledge that i had to go through 7 days institutional quarantine....i turned the form over where the exemption categories were stated & once again showed them my exemption certificate & my negative covid result....they refused to acknowledge that & said i had to fill out the form & then go to the doctor's counter where they would decide if i qualified for exemption....
once again, not wanting to argue, i filled out the form & went over to the doctor's counter....i handed over my exemption certificate & the form i had filled out....they seemed surprised why i had filled out the form when i already had exemption....i told them i had been trying to explain that to various different counters & agents all evening but they refused to acknowledge the exemption certificate....he started yelling at the guys at the previous counter asking why they were getting passengers to fill out unnecessary forms....the guys from that counter yelled back saying they were only following instructions....in between all this yelling i politely asked the doctor if i could leave....he said i could & just had to get my hand stamped at the exit which would indicate the date till when i had to home quarantine....
i walked over to the exit & was met by security who asked to see my stamped quarantine form....i showed them the exemption certificate & he didn't know what that was....he said he couldn't let me through without the stamped quarantine form....i went back to the doctor's counter & said they weren't letting me leave....he yelled out to security asking them to let me go....security yelled back saying i didn't have the stamped form....the doc yelled back i didn't need one as i had exemption....the other counter joined in on the yelling saying they didn't know what this exemption certificate was....finally the doc got up from his seat & walked over to the other counter & told them to shut up & check with their superiors regarding the exemption rules....he then told security to let me through....i got a stamp on my hand stating the date i have to quarantine till & finally managed to leave the airport....
just when i thought the adventure was over, i woke up the next morning with a terrible rash on my hand all over the stamped area....had to do an online consult with a doctor who told me i seemed to have had an allergic reaction to the ink....the hand is all bandaged up now & a good reminder to only travel in these troubled times if it is absolutely necessary....
just got back from usa a couple of nights ago & its a travel experience i won't soon forget....
my flight was originally jfk-ams-del but since india has not established a travel bubble with the netherlands yet, my flight was changed to jfk-cdg-del....
2 days before my flight i got my rt-pcr test done & received my negative result the day of my flight....i had already filled out the self reporting form on the air suvidha website & applied for exemption from the 7 day institutional quarantine by uploading my negative covid report when i got it....just before i was leaving for the airport i got my exemption certificate so i managed to print out 2 copies to carry with me....
terminal 1 in jfk was fairly empty....i was the only passenger in the business class line while there were maybe a dozen passengers in the economy check-in counters....before i could reach the check-in counter i was stopped by an agent & made to fill out a form which was basically an undertaking that neither me nor my legal heirs could sue air france in the event i contracted covid on the flight & died....after filling out the form i got to the check-in counter....the agent asked me if i had registered with the indian mission in france & provided me with a link if i had not done so....i told him i had already & he asked me to show him the email i received with the confirmation of having done so....i showed him the email & a couple of minutes later i had my boarding pass in hand....
the security line was also empty....they had shut down the tsa pre-check lane since the number of passengers was too small but there was no one at the line before me so i went through pretty quickly....the only problem was taking off my belt & taking out my laptop from my bag, which i would not have had to do had tsa pre-check line been open....
the terminal was pretty dead & about 75% of the shops were closed....luckily the air france lounge was open so i made my way there....the lounge offerings were pretty basic....no fresh food....everything was pre-packaged & there were tons of chips & popcorn & other snack packets available....i was informed that boarding would first begin from the back rows so business class would board last....
boarding was very organised with them starting to board through the back rows....they boarded economy first, then premium economy & finally business class last....i don't think there were more than 35-40 passengers on the flight....business class had only 4 passengers including me....
the flight from jfk-cdg was fairly uneventful....masks had to be worn throughout the duration of the flight....dinner was served half an hour after takeoff....snacks & drinks were available throughout the flight....an hour before landing breakfast was served....the flight landed in cdg an hour & 15 minutes before schedule....
cdg was a little busier than the other airports i had been to over the last one week....it took me almost 30 minutes to go through security....most shops in the terminal were open & social distance was not really being maintained....i headed over to the lounge which was also very busy....food options were limited but there were both hot & cold items on offer, along with a lot of pre-packaged stuff....
boarding was once again taking place in reverse order so the last rows of economy boarded first....after economy class they boarded premium economy & finally business class in the end....at boarding they made everyone fill out the same undertaking i filled out at jfk....they also asked for proof of having registered with the indian mission in france....finally they handed each passenger a packet with a mask & shield....the mask had to be worn for the duration of the flight while the shield had to be worn in del....i was the only passenger in business class while there must have been less than 40 passengers in total on the entire flight....
the flight was again uneventful....lunch was served half an hour after takeoff....lots of snacks available throughout the flight & a hot snack was served an hour before landing....everything was served in proper cutlery like the previous flight....the health declaration forms were handed out mid flight....i had already filled these out & had 2 copies but decided to also fill in the one they handed on the flight since i didn't want to take a risk with them not accepting the one i had filled in earlier....
the flight landed on time & an announcement was made that both the mask & shields were required to be worn at the airport....i was the first one to get off the plane & made it to the health declaration counter before anyone else....there was a separate line for those who had an exemption certificate so i got into that line....the agent asked for a copy of the exemption so i handed it over to him....he glanced at it & waived me through....i tried to hand him the health declaration form but he said it was not required as i already was approved for exemption....
next i made it to the immigration counter....the officer asked for the health form & i handed it to him....he looked at it & said it was not stamped....i told him i tried to hand it over at the previous counter but the agent there said that i didn't need it since i had an exemption certificate....he said i would need to go back & get it stamped....so i did & once again they refused to stamp it saying that i had exemption....i told them immigration would not let me through if i didn't have the stamped form so they reluctantly stamped it....
i made it back to the immigration counter with the stamped form & the officer asked for my boarding pass & passport....he scanned my boarding pass & then had a confused look on his face....i asked him what was wrong & he said that my flight had still not landed....that was amusing to me since i was standing there in front of him having disembarked from the flight he claimed was still in the air....by this time the other passengers had also reached the immigration counter & none of them were being let through since the system in all the counters showed that the flight had still not landed....this prompted a master reset of the system which took about 15 minutes....after that the flight showed as having landed so i was able to pass through immigration....
duty free was fairly empty & my baggage was already waiting for me by the time i got to baggage claim....
after getting my bags i tried to exit the terminal but was stopped at the exit by security who asked me if i had filled in the mandatory quarantine form....i told them i had an exemption certificate but he insisted i had to fill up the form....not wanting to argue, i took the form from him....he told me to fill it up & submit it at a temporary counter set up nearby....i started to fill out the form but stopped when i read the first line that stated that i only had to fill out the form if i did not have an exemption certificate from air suvidha....i took the empty form & my exemption certificate to the counter & asked them if i had to fill out the form....the agents at the counter seemed confused & had no idea what the exemption certificate was for or from where i got it....they told me i had to fill out the form & acknowledge that i had to go through 7 days institutional quarantine....i turned the form over where the exemption categories were stated & once again showed them my exemption certificate & my negative covid result....they refused to acknowledge that & said i had to fill out the form & then go to the doctor's counter where they would decide if i qualified for exemption....
once again, not wanting to argue, i filled out the form & went over to the doctor's counter....i handed over my exemption certificate & the form i had filled out....they seemed surprised why i had filled out the form when i already had exemption....i told them i had been trying to explain that to various different counters & agents all evening but they refused to acknowledge the exemption certificate....he started yelling at the guys at the previous counter asking why they were getting passengers to fill out unnecessary forms....the guys from that counter yelled back saying they were only following instructions....in between all this yelling i politely asked the doctor if i could leave....he said i could & just had to get my hand stamped at the exit which would indicate the date till when i had to home quarantine....
i walked over to the exit & was met by security who asked to see my stamped quarantine form....i showed them the exemption certificate & he didn't know what that was....he said he couldn't let me through without the stamped quarantine form....i went back to the doctor's counter & said they weren't letting me leave....he yelled out to security asking them to let me go....security yelled back saying i didn't have the stamped form....the doc yelled back i didn't need one as i had exemption....the other counter joined in on the yelling saying they didn't know what this exemption certificate was....finally the doc got up from his seat & walked over to the other counter & told them to shut up & check with their superiors regarding the exemption rules....he then told security to let me through....i got a stamp on my hand stating the date i have to quarantine till & finally managed to leave the airport....
just when i thought the adventure was over, i woke up the next morning with a terrible rash on my hand all over the stamped area....had to do an online consult with a doctor who told me i seemed to have had an allergic reaction to the ink....the hand is all bandaged up now & a good reminder to only travel in these troubled times if it is absolutely necessary....
Last edited by Keyser; Sep 24, 2020 at 11:48 am
Sep 24, 2020, 10:51 am
#43
Join Date: Jun 2014
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The notes and tweets from EK and all now only say only passengers whose origin is UAE can board, but the directive itself just says Indian nationals and OCIs holding UAE passports (all five of them) are allowed. Nothing about the first point of origin. The directives were clearly not thought out by either party, as they ignore the fact that OCIs who are citizens of other countries might be living in a third country. Eg a US citizen OCI living in it UAE, if you read the directive to the letter, would need to fly back to the US, and from there take a direct flight to India. India needs to clear up the complexity immediately, starting with allowing all OCIs regardless of citizenship to enter India regardless of where their origin is from. Eg a British OCI living in Japan.
Sep 24, 2020, 11:06 am
#44
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The notes and tweets from EK and all now only say only passengers whose origin is UAE can board, but the directive itself just says Indian nationals and OCIs holding UAE passports (all five of them) are allowed. Nothing about the first point of origin. The directives were clearly not thought out by either party, as they ignore the fact that OCIs who are citizens of other countries might be living in a third country. Eg a US citizen OCI living in it UAE, if you read the directive to the letter, would need to fly back to the US, and from there take a direct flight to India. India needs to clear up the complexity immediately, starting with allowing all OCIs regardless of citizenship to enter India regardless of where their origin is from. Eg a British OCI living in Japan.
Here are the rules:
12. United Arab Emirates (UAE)
India has created an air bubble arrangement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This bubble is valid till 31.10.2020. Indian and UAE carriers are now permitted to operate flights between India and UAE and carry the following categories of persons on such flights:
A. From India to UAE:
i. UAE nationals.
ii. ICA approved UAE residents destined for UAE only.
iii. Any Indian national holding any type of valid UAE visa and destined for UAE only. It would be for the airlines concerned to ensure that there is no travel restriction for Indian nationals to enter UAE with the particular visa category before issue of ticket/ boarding pass to the Indian passenger.
India has created an air bubble arrangement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This bubble is valid till 31.10.2020. Indian and UAE carriers are now permitted to operate flights between India and UAE and carry the following categories of persons on such flights:
A. From India to UAE:
i. UAE nationals.
ii. ICA approved UAE residents destined for UAE only.
iii. Any Indian national holding any type of valid UAE visa and destined for UAE only. It would be for the airlines concerned to ensure that there is no travel restriction for Indian nationals to enter UAE with the particular visa category before issue of ticket/ boarding pass to the Indian passenger.
Sep 25, 2020, 2:48 am
#45
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Really surprised that you had quite an adventure in DEL. When I flew 3 weeks ago it was a smooth process with hardly any issues. Plus the stamp faded away by the time I took a shower in the evening.
once again, not wanting to argue, i filled out the form & went over to the doctor's counter....i handed over my exemption certificate & the form i had filled out....they seemed surprised why i had filled out the form when i already had exemption....i told them i had been trying to explain that to various different counters & agents all evening but they refused to acknowledge the exemption certificate....he started yelling at the guys at the previous counter asking why they were getting passengers to fill out unnecessary forms....the guys from that counter yelled back saying they were only following instructions....in between all this yelling i politely asked the doctor if i could leave....he said i could & just had to get my hand stamped at the exit which would indicate the date till when i had to home quarantine....
i walked over to the exit & was met by security who asked to see my stamped quarantine form....i showed them the exemption certificate & he didn't know what that was....he said he couldn't let me through without the stamped quarantine form....i went back to the doctor's counter & said they weren't letting me leave....he yelled out to security asking them to let me go....security yelled back saying i didn't have the stamped form....the doc yelled back i didn't need one as i had exemption....the other counter joined in on the yelling saying they didn't know what this exemption certificate was....finally the doc got up from his seat & walked over to the other counter & told them to shut up & check with their superiors regarding the exemption rules....he then told security to let me through....i got a stamp on my hand stating the date i have to quarantine till & finally managed to leave the airport....
i walked over to the exit & was met by security who asked to see my stamped quarantine form....i showed them the exemption certificate & he didn't know what that was....he said he couldn't let me through without the stamped quarantine form....i went back to the doctor's counter & said they weren't letting me leave....he yelled out to security asking them to let me go....security yelled back saying i didn't have the stamped form....the doc yelled back i didn't need one as i had exemption....the other counter joined in on the yelling saying they didn't know what this exemption certificate was....finally the doc got up from his seat & walked over to the other counter & told them to shut up & check with their superiors regarding the exemption rules....he then told security to let me through....i got a stamp on my hand stating the date i have to quarantine till & finally managed to leave the airport....