Direct passenger flights between India and China are unlikely to resume in the short or long term unless Beijing adjusts its policy of suddenly canceling scheduled flights when some passengers test positive for COVID upon arrival at Chinese airports, sources briefed here said.
Flights between the two countries have been halted since the coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan in late 2019 and spread around the world.
Flight disruption has proven to be a major challenge for many Indian academics as well as Indian families running in China and businessmen to travel back and forth, Beijing recently lifted the visa ban after about 3 years.
After this, around 23,000 Indian students, mostly medical students, who were stranded at home due to COVID visa bans in China, ready to go to China to enroll in their universities, but encountered difficulties due to the lack of direct flights.
Flights through third countries were exorbitant in relation to demand.
However, according to reports, more than a hundred Indian academics have returned to China in recent weeks by the roads of third countries, Hong Kong added.
Well-informed resources have indicated here that in view of the unlikely resumption of flights, Indians are requested to pass through Hong Kong, which has daily connectivity from India. From there, they can catch a flight to Chinese cities, where they will have to go through a seven-day quarantine.
Indian passengers are lately flying to China, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Myanmar.
China is expected to replace its Zero COVID policy even after the 20th Congress of the ruling Communist Party that begins here on October 16.
In recent months, China basically canceled flights to almost all countries in 2020 and began allowing limited flights from some countries, adding Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the South Asia region.
But those flights are subject to the clause that they will be canceled for a certain period if a passenger on the incoming flight tests upon arrival at Chinese airports.
India and China have been in talks for several months to resume flight services, but negotiations have made little progress due to Beijing’s insistence on the COVID-passenger-like flight cancellation rule, the resources said.
Airlines are struggling to comply with the rule because they are the ones conducting COVID-19 testing that is mandatory for all passengers traveling to China, the resources said.
COVID testing is carried out at designated centers through the Chinese Embassy in India and the “green code” for air is also granted through the Chinese project without which passengers cannot board, they said.
In the overall process, the airline has no role but will have to bear the brunt of cancellations for several days if some passengers test positive upon arrival, the resources said.
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Given this, direct flights between India and China will resume unless Beijing removes the rule as talks have stalled on the issue, they said.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed. )
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