A recent Twitter announcement by The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia reveals that Saudi enters into air travel bubble agreement with India starting January 1, 2022. With the constant flight suspensions for the past 15 months, the decision to form an air bubble between Saudi Arabia and India came as a respite for the travel industry. The travelers from India previously had to forcefully spend some time in another country due to constant flight suspensions in the lights of COVID-19. As a result, the Indian government announced that international travel and flights would remain suspended except for select few countries that are a part of the air bubble. Saudi Arabia made the list by being the 34th country in the Indian travel corridor.
The Air Bubble Agreement
Airlines following the agreement will be allowed to fly between both countries and transport travelers from both sides with a restriction imposed on travel destinations. Indian travelers can only fly to Saudi Arabia and come back to the former without any other destination on the itinerary. The same is the case for Saudi Travelers. The bubble has a gap for tourists from Nepal and Bhutan holding a Saudi Arabia visa in the same fashion as that for India. The entries on the list of air travel bubbles with India are not permanent. India can add or remove any country on the list depending upon the severity of COVID-19 infections of a particular country. Further, there will be a need to produce a negative RT-PCR test report to avoid any complications with the safety of both Saudi Arabia and India.
The air bubble between India and Saudi Arabia is already in place since 1st January 2022, as per the tweet by the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Governments in both countries have high expectations from the bubble as it will not only boost tourism but will also help in keeping the spread of COVID-19 from travel in check.
Eligibility
Numerous flights from India like Spicejet, Saudi Airlines, and Air India will serve the air bubble effectively. Though the travel is relatively free, it comes with several important eligibility criteria, which are as follow:
- Saudi Arabian nationals and Indian nationals (including diplomats) having a valid visa of respective countries following necessary COVID-19 guidelines can freely travel between the two countries. The concerned airlines will thoroughly check the basic requirements for the travels as per the agreement in the air bubble.
- Or, Indian nationals in the Saudi Arabia Kingdom with OCI or Overseas Citizenship of India cardholders and PIO or Persons of Indian Origin cardholders with legal passports can also utilize the facilities offered in the agreement.
- The travelers should follow the COVID guidelines mentioned in the agreement and individual countries’ guidelines like lockdowns, usage of masks, avoidance of gatherings, etc.
- Further, quarantined travelers showing COVID-19 positivity will need to take another RT-PCR test after the quarantine has ended.
- The travelers will have to take care of their health and should strictly adhere to the guidelines.
The air travel bubble will help in the surge of tourism in both the countries with minimum viability to the COVID-19. Moreover, the agreement will strengthens the trust and friendship between Saudi Arabia and India.
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