Vistara begins non-stop services to Japan; Maldives flights to resume from July 15

Vistara has inaugurated its non-stop flights between Delhi and Tokyo. Vistara will fly once a week between the two cities using its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Maldives has decided to resume international flight services from July 15. From India, GoFirst will be operating flights from Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai to Male.

New Delhi:Vistara, a joint venture of Tata group and Singapore Airlines, on Wednesday inaugurated its non-stop flights between Delhi and Tokyo, the airline said in a statement. The inaugural flight departed Delhi at 03:00 hours (IST) and landed in Tokyo (Haneda) at 14:50 hours (JST). Under the air bubble arrangement between India and Japan, Vistara will fly once a week between the two cities using its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

"We are delighted to take India's finest airline to Japan and provide an unmatched flying experience to our customers that exemplifies modern Indian hospitality with the highest global standards in safety, hygiene and operations," said Vistara's Chief Executive Officer Leslie Thng. "We look forward to further strengthening our presence on this new route in the coming months," he added.

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Earlier, low-cost carrier Air India Express had announced international flights from Kuwait and Dammam in Saudi Arabia to India. The new schedule for the flights starts in July and ends in October 2021. These flights will connect Kuwait to Vijaywada, Kozhikode, Kannur, Trichy, Kochi and Mangalore under the Vande Bharat Mission. Canada has also commenced easing restrictions on those entering the country from Monday but those will only apply to certain categories of travellers like citizens and permanent residents.

Meanwhile, Germany has also eased travel restrictions from India. India has now been reclassified as "high incidence areas" instead of the "virus variant country" category. The Maldivian government has decided to resume international flight services from the next week. From India, GoFirst will be operating flights from Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai to Male from July 15.

Read:|Vistara to operate Male-Mumbai flights from March

Scheduled international flights have been suspended in India since March 23 last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the government has been operating international flights under the Vande Bharat mission and bilateral air bubble pacts. India currently has a bilateral air bubble agreement with about 28 countries, which include countries such as Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan Canada, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Maldives, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Rwanda, Seychelles, Tanzania, Ukraine, the UAE, the UK, Uzbekistan, and the US.

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