Amid the coronavirus pandemic, international flights to and from the country have been suspended by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation till August 31. People from different walks of life tell The New Indian Express how this suspension continues to affect their lives.
Vishal Mehandiratta, 21, Customer Support Associate, Tech Mahindra, Noida
I completed my graduation last year and had started the process to go abroad on a study visa. I even got my AIP visa for Canada in August this year. But since there are no flights, I got my visa deferred. I am now planning to go in January intake. This has created a gap in my studies and I will have to pay my study loan instalments from here.
Shweta Singh, 41,
Make-up artist, Gurugram
I had a lot of make-up bookings in Dubai and Bali for destination weddings. But now everything has been stalled. I feel they should start flights with proper protocol and measures, so that we can start our small-time work.
Jaswinder Singh, 50, Businessman, Jangpura
We were planning to go to Canada to meet our son who studies there. We have a 10-year tourist visa, but there are no flights. We are allowed to take Vande Bharat flights, but I have learned that agents are charging extra to book tickets which were already costly. Usually, a round trip costs Rs 65,000, but now a one-way ticket costs Rs 75,000. We have cancelled the plan until the ban is lifted.
Amit Jain, 44, Founder,
Rising Star Tours and Travels, Ashok Vihar
Suspension on international flights is a blow to the industry. Eighty per cent of the travelling population was either business class or traveling for leisure. Even our group tours were scheduled for September. Flights operated by Vande Bharat are not even one per cent of the normal flights. I think the government will lift the ban post August 31. If they consider extending the ban, our economy would lag behind.
Sakin Ahuja, 39, Partner, Sources Unlimited, Sultanpur
Our clients sometimes want to travel to Italy or other countries to visit the factory showrooms, make a selection and come back. The aim is to get a complete feel of the furniture but that is not happening at present. We have even got four-five enquiries asking when the restrictions will be lifted and when can they travel.
Vishal Anand, 48,
Director, Moonshine Food Ventures, Gurugram
Our new brand SAGA is already in developing stage and Michelin recommended Chef Atul Kochhar who did the menu creation and was supposed to travel from London for site visits, is unable to. We will now explore options more locally in terms of our f&b research than traveling internationally.
Anuj Khanna, 39,
Managing Director, Sava International, Gurugram
Barring of flights has had a huge impact on international business, especially Sava that has been exporting to more than 51 countries. Several trade fairs were cancelled and the one in Germany that’s scheduled for January is also under negotiation on whether we should attend it. Sales, promotions and buying activity has been hampered because textiles is one of the items, and the decision to buy it can only be taken after physically touching it.