March 25th, 2020, the day India closed down its borders amidst the scare of coronavirus; though it’s been almost a year now, the world is still upside down, and traveling has become a far-fetched dream.
As the days slowly went by, India decided to make special arrangements for the USA to India cheapest flights, also known as the Vande Bharat mission. The mission initially started on 7th may 2020 and was done to bring back stranded Indians from all across the globe.
After that, the mission ramped up continuously, and as of now, around 91 lakh people have traveled to India under this mission.
But the question that arises is, will the “normal flights” ever resume?
The “normal flights” haven’t resumed as India has banned international travel. But, under the ministry of civil aviation, few airlines have the permission to fly under the bubble arrangement with some countries.
So, in this arrangement, carriers like Air India and national carriers of other countries have a bubble arrangement, and they can operate special flights to various destinations across the globe.
So, who can book flights from the USA to India?
Now that you are aware of the arrangement that both countries have, take a look at the list of people who can fly down from the USA to India.
- Indian nationals who are stuck in the USA.
- All the overseas citizens of India cardholders who have US passports.
- Foreign individuals, including diplomats, who have valid visas issued under the Indian mission that have been covered under the categories and guidelines that the Ministry of Home Affairs has issued.
- People in business who have a business visa (except B-3 visa, utilized for sports)
- Health care professionals, researchers, engineers, and technicians (that are going to work in Indian health care sector facilities) are allowed provided they have a letter of invitation from a healthcare facility, university of India (accredited), or registered pharmaceutical company that has been recognized and registered by India.
- Specialists in engineering, design, or managerial who are traveling to India on behalf of foreign business entities located in India; these entities include software units, manufacturing units, It units, design units, and other financial sector companies.
- Technical specialists as well as engineers who are traveling to India for the maintenance, repair, and installation of the machinery that has been manufactured abroad. They should have a registered invitation by the business entity, their visit can also be for the equipment installation that is under warranty, for repair, after-sales servicing, and lastly repair.
- The above-mentioned foreign nationals should get a fresh business visa or an employment visa application from the Indian posts or missions. All the foreign nationals who have a long-term multiple-entry business visa (valid) other than B-3 and the visa issued by the Indian mission posts should get their business visa re-validated from the Indian mission/post. If they have an electronic visa obtained earlier, they will not be allowed to enter India.
Where can you book the flights?
Now the question that arises is, where can one book USA to India cheapest flights? They can be booked directly through the airlines or travel agents accredited with the airlines. Earlier, only one portal, i.e., air India was allowed. Still, after some protests from the other travel agencies, all the travel ticketing portals are allowed to book tickets now.
