India has formed an air travel bubble arrangement with Ethiopia.
“Attention travellers! An air travel arrangement has been established between India and Ethiopia. Designated carriers of both countries are permitted to operate flights between the two countries. Please plan your travels accordingly,” said Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India in an official tweet.
Categories of passengers eligible to fly under the new air bubble include:
From India to Ethiopia:
- Stranded nationals/residents of Ethiopia, foreign nationals destined for Africa and transiting through Ethiopia or spouses of these persons, whether accompanying or otherwise.
- Any Indian national or national of Nepal or Bhutan destined for any country in Africa and holding a valid visa for the destination country. It would be for the airlines concerned to ensure that there is no travel restriction for Indian/ Nepalese/Bhutanese nationals to enter the destination country with the particular visa category before issue of ticket / boarding pass to the Indian/ Nepalese/Bhutanese passenger.
- Seamen of foreign nationalities and Seamen holding Indian passports would be allowed subject to clearance from the Ministry of Shipping. Seamen should be destined to countries of Africa only.
From Ethiopia to India
- Indian nationals or nationals of Nepal or Bhutan stranded in any country in Africa.
- All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders and Person of Indian Origin (PIO) cardholders holding passports of any country.
- All foreign nationals (from any country in Africa) intending to visit India for any purpose (including their dependents on appropriate category of dependent visa) except those on Tourist Visa.
- Seamen from countries of Africa.
Passengers travelling on flights from India should be destined for African countries only. Similarly, only passengers originating from countries in Africa should be allowed to travel on the flights from Ethiopia to India.
India currently shares bilateral travel arrangements with around 22 countries including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, Kenya, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Maldives, Netherlands, Oman, Qatar, UAE, UK and USA.
