About India Outbound Magazine

India Outbound, a brand of Media India Group, is India’s only B2B travel media platform, that encompasses a print magazine, a website, an online TV channel and dynamic social media platforms, entirely dedicated to the promotion of foreign destinations and products in India. India Outbound is a niche platform not just for tourism destinations and products to promote themselves to the Indian travel industry, but also for decision makers to build/change their strategy in a context where the Indian outbound market is not only growing but changing with new dynamics. India Outbound brings to you the latest trends of the market with in depth analysis.

Air India Express deploys robotic technology to disinfect aircraft; launches new flights

Air India Express, the low-cost wholly-owned subsidiary of Air India, has announced a host of new flights including a daily one from Trichy to Singapore from February 1. More connections are available on routes connecting Kuwait to Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Mangalore, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kochi. Air India Express has also added more flights between Delhi and Kuala Lumpur with effect from January 6. Flights between Kochi and Kuala Lumpur have also been announced.

With introduction of new routes, Air India Express has said that it has introduced an ultraviolet (UV) robotic device to clean and disinfect the interior of its aircraft at the Delhi airport and plans to extend this technology across its other bases in the country. The device, fitted with collapsible arms, is specifically designed to disinfect various interior areas especially the difficult ones such as aircraft seats, under-seat areas, overhead baggage compartment, aisle ceiling, window panels, cockpit instrumentation area and overhead switch panel. This technology is tested and approved by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories for its efficiency to disinfect surfaces from germs, bacteria and viruses.

Vistara to start Delhi-Frankfurt flights from Feb 18

Vistara has announced that it would be operating twice weekly (Thursdays & Saturdays), non-stop flights between Delhi and Frankfurt from February 18, 2021, as part of the air bubble arrangement between India and Germany.

The new route will be served by Vistara’s brand-new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. Frankfurt is Vistara’s second destination in Europe after London, United Kingdom. Subject to existing regulations around transit traffic, passengers can also travel via Frankfurt to the rest of Germany and the European Union. Bookings for the flights are being progressively opened on all channels.

“As a key gateway to Germany and an ever-thriving metropolis that is a global hub of finance, commerce and trade, Frankfurt is another significant addition to our route network that also strengthens our presence in Europe. India and Germany enjoy very strong ties, the impressions of which are visible in many areas including business, science and technology that continue to fuel demand for travel between the two countries. Not only this, but Germany is also home to hundreds of thousands of Indians and people of Indian origin,” Leslie Thng, chief executive officer, Vistara, said.

SpiceJet looking at expanding Ras Al Khaimah hub

The Indian budget carrier SpiceJet has announced the launch of 21 new flights including a few international routes. The airline also said the bookings for all new routes are now open.

This expansion comes nearly a year after SpiceJet announced plans to open a Middle East hub in Ras Al Khaimah, similar to what Wizz Air has done in Abu Dhabi. However, this base has not yet materialised with regulatory issues and the downturn from 2020 halting the work.

As per the latest updates, the airline will operate two weekly flights on Mumbai – Ras Al-Khaimah route and increase frequency on the Delhi - Ras Al-Khaimah route to four weekly flights from January 12. SpiceJet is doubling down on its plans to expand operations at the Ras Al Khaimah airport. Also, Hyderabad will see SpiceJet’s first US route to Chicago next week.

IATA expresses concern on Canada's inbound travel Covid-19 testing policy

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has expressed frustration with Canada’s new Covid-19 testing requirement for all arriving air travellers due to come into effect as of January 7, 2021. While the industry for months has been calling for systematic testing to re-open borders without quarantine measures, these pleas have fallen on deaf ears, especially in Canada, said a statement from IATA, which is based in Montreal.

Now, in a short notice decision, the government is mandating that passengers provide proof of a negative Covid-19 molecular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test taken within 72 hours before planned departure to Canada, risking the stranding of travellers in countries where testing is not readily available.

In IATA's words, “Canada already has one the world’s most draconian Covid-19 border control regimes, including travel bans and quarantines. Even though Covid-19 testing is an internationally accepted risk-mitigation strategy, there is no plan to adjust the current 14-day quarantine rule nor eliminate the temperature checks airlines are required to perform on passengers wishing to travel to Canada.”

“The way forward is through a well-planned and coordinated introduction of testing inbound travellers, as a replacement for quarantine measures. At current infection levels, testing travellers will ensure that opening borders will not pose an additional risk of contagion in Canada. We challenge the government to prove otherwise,” the statement read.

India Outbound is a publication of Media India Group