NEW DELHI: Days after announcing the decision of resuming the domestic operations, Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday said the ministry will try to start some international passenger flights before August. The government will be able to facilitate NRIs who are struck in India to return, much before international air travel is resumed, he during a ‘Facebook Live’ session about domestic and international travel.
Puri said his ministry was able to meet that objective of ensuring Indians who are now living in India but are residents abroad to return even before international civil aviation opened up by the increasing number of Vande Bharat flights.Foreign nationals who are stranded in India have already been returning in evacuation flights operated by their countries, he said.
“We must have a more ambitious goal. Why not start by mid-June or June end or July,” Puri said to a query on whether NRIs will be able to return by August or September. If the situation remains predictable, Puri said, he was confident of starting a good part of international travel, if not all of it, much before August-September.