India is considering forming travel bubbles with a number of countries, including the US, UK, Germany, and France. The news comes after the US’ complaint that India is violating flight agreements by banning US airlines but allowing Air India to operate. India is now looking for a solution to allow foreign carriers into India and to restart international travel.
India is looking to create a “travel bubble” with a few countries that have limited the spread of the coronavirus. But what is a travel bubble? A travel bubble, also known as an air bridge, is a method of border control where countries agree to forego quarantine requirements and allow free travel. The agreement usually is between countries that have controlled the virus spread, such as Australia and New Zealand, or entire regions, such as the EU.
India has said it is planning a number of travel bubbles, although the announcement was light on details. India’s Civil Aviation Ministry said it is looking to form bubbles with the US, UK, France, and Germany at first. These countries were chosen due to the high demand for travel seen even during the pandemic. Both the US and France have complained about Air India’s monopoly, with the latter even prohibiting inbound passengers from India.
While travel bubbles do sound like an excellent way for India to restart international travel, there are three main issues.
India is currently struggling to control the coronavirus. The country is clocking its highest daily cases, upwards of 15,000 cases a day. A large part of these cases are from the hub cities of Delhi and Mumbai, making travel from there risky. It seems unlikely that any country would agree to a bubble with India in the coming months, considering its case count.
Travel bubbles are highly sensitive to new cases. The Trans-Tasman bubble is likely delayed following a surge of cases in Australia, showing the sensitivity of such an agreement. Many countries are likely to face a second wave, or at least more clusters, making a bubble tough to implement and maintain.
Is there demand? With the current border controls in place, there are few who are eligible to travel. The absence of leisure travelers will impact airlines, who could see demand drop significantly after the initial group of travelers. If border controls are lifted, countries could see cases rise considering the spread of the coronavirus in many countries.
25/06/20 Syd Sharma/Simple Flying
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India is looking to create a “travel bubble” with a few countries that have limited the spread of the coronavirus. But what is a travel bubble? A travel bubble, also known as an air bridge, is a method of border control where countries agree to forego quarantine requirements and allow free travel. The agreement usually is between countries that have controlled the virus spread, such as Australia and New Zealand, or entire regions, such as the EU.
India has said it is planning a number of travel bubbles, although the announcement was light on details. India’s Civil Aviation Ministry said it is looking to form bubbles with the US, UK, France, and Germany at first. These countries were chosen due to the high demand for travel seen even during the pandemic. Both the US and France have complained about Air India’s monopoly, with the latter even prohibiting inbound passengers from India.
While travel bubbles do sound like an excellent way for India to restart international travel, there are three main issues.
India is currently struggling to control the coronavirus. The country is clocking its highest daily cases, upwards of 15,000 cases a day. A large part of these cases are from the hub cities of Delhi and Mumbai, making travel from there risky. It seems unlikely that any country would agree to a bubble with India in the coming months, considering its case count.
Travel bubbles are highly sensitive to new cases. The Trans-Tasman bubble is likely delayed following a surge of cases in Australia, showing the sensitivity of such an agreement. Many countries are likely to face a second wave, or at least more clusters, making a bubble tough to implement and maintain.
Is there demand? With the current border controls in place, there are few who are eligible to travel. The absence of leisure travelers will impact airlines, who could see demand drop significantly after the initial group of travelers. If border controls are lifted, countries could see cases rise considering the spread of the coronavirus in many countries.
25/06/20 Syd Sharma/Simple Flying
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