In major news since our last update; Saudi Arabia introduces multiple visa options for Indian travellers; Indonesia is expected to join the list of visa-free destinations by October; Air India introduces unilateral codeshare agreement with Vistara; AI, AI Express and Indigo commence operations from Pune airport’s new terminal; Akasa Air commences direct flight from Mumbai to Abu Dhabi; Air India to commence direct flights between Delhi and Kuala Lumpur from Sep 15; Air India to launch its flagship A350 aircraft on the Delhi – London and Delhi – New York & Newark routes and more updates.

In a significant move to boost tourism, Saudi Arabia has announced the introduction of multiple visa options for Indian citizens. The new visa options, including Stopover visas, eVisas, and Visas on Arrival, aim to double the number of Indian tourists visiting Saudi Arabia to 2.2 million by the end of 2024

Indian travellers can now apply for a Stopover visa, valid for up to 96 hours. This visa can be obtained 90 days in advance through the Saudia Airline website for a nominal administration and insurance fee. Indian citizens holding valid tourist or business visas from the United States, United Kingdom, or any Schengen country, along with proof of entry stamps, are eligible for an eVisa.

This initiative is part of Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to make India the number one source market for tourism. The long-term goal is to welcome 7.5 million Indian travellers by 2030, positioning Saudi Arabia as a premier destination for Indian tourists.

As per the latest reports, a visa exemption for Indian tourists is in the works and is expected to be finalised by October. Under this project, tourists from 20 countries, including India, will be allowed to enter Indonesia without a visa. As per an announcement made by Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno, the project to extend the visa exemption policy is on track and is expected to be finalised before the elections in October 2024.

As part of one more step towards Vistara's impeding merger with Air India by the end of this year, Air India has announced a unilateral code share agreement with Vistara which allows Air India customers to travel on Vistara’s entire network.

Commercial operations at Pune’s New Integrated Terminal Building finally commenced on 14th July ’24 with Air India Flight AI–858 (Pune–Delhi) and Air India Express Flight I5 320 (Pune–Bhubaneswar).

Indigo Airline’s flight operations from Pune to Delhi commenced from the new terminal building from 22nd July under the second phase. The following Indigo flight numbers have commenced operations from the New Integrated Terminal Building: 6E-2618, 6E-2418, 6E-2343, 6E-2419, 6E-2471, 6E-5261, 6E-2273, 6E-2278, 6E-2674, 6E-2279.

Officials have said that the entire operations from the old terminal building would shift to the new facility by early August in a phased manner. Once the shift is complete, the old terminal building will be closed for one year from mid-September onwards for renovation.

To enhance the convenience of air travel, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has launched a check-in facility for international flights at two pivotal metro stations in the national capital – New Delhi and Shivaji Stadium on the Airport Express Line. In a statement on Wednesday, July 17, DMRC announced that this service, initiated in the first week of June, is designed to streamline travel procedures for passengers departing from Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in New Delhi. Notable aspects of the service include allowing passengers to check in their luggage at these metro stations, with their baggage being securely transported to the aircraft via automated systems.

Domestic flight passengers can check-in between 12 hours and 2 hours prior to departure. For international flights, the check-in window is 4 hours to 3 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Akasa Air commenced operations between Abu Dhabi and Mumbai with daily direct flights that commenced on 11th July 2024 with the following schedule:

Abu Dhabi is the fourth international destination on Akasa’s growing global network.

Air India will start non-stop services between Delhi and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, starting September 15, 2024. Using its two-class configured Airbus A320neo aircraft, Air India will operate daily on the new route.

The flight schedule is as follows:

The new route will further strengthen Air India’s network of destinations in Southeast Asia, offer a new flight option to an increasing number of travellers between India and Malaysia, and open new connections for Malaysian travellers to access Air India’s global route network.

From 29 October to 02 March 2024, Air France will offer 3 additional flights from Delhi to Paris-Charles de Gaulle(CDG) making it to 10 weekly flights. The schedule of the additional flights is as follows:

With additional frequencies, travellers will have more options to connect to the global network of Air France.

Starting on 1 September 2024, Air India will enhance the onboard experience for its guests by deploying its brand-new Airbus A350-900 aircraft on their twice-daily flights between Delhi and London Heathrow. This route will mark the long-haul international debut of Air India’s flagship A350-900, which will replace the Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on 14 of 17 weekly flights, adding 336 additional seats weekly on the Delhi-London route.

With the introduction of the A350-900, 90 per cent of Air India’s flights to London Heathrow will be upgraded. Since April 2024, Air India has been deploying its recently inducted Boeing 777-300ERs with enhanced cabin interiors on all flights between Mumbai and London Heathrow. With the introduction of Boeing 777-300ERs, Air India is now the only carrier to offer First class travel between the UK and India.

Air India will be operating its flagship A350-900 aircraft on Delhi-New York JFK flights from November 1, 2024, and Delhi-Newark flights from January 2, 2025. The aircraft will feature 28 private suites in Business class with full-flat beds in a 1-2-1 configuration, 24 seats in Premium Economy with a 2 – 4 – 2 configuration and 264 Economy seats arranged in a 3-4-3 configuration.

All seats across cabins will come with a Panasonic eX3 in-flight entertainment (IFE) system and HD screens that offer more than 2,200 hours of entertainment content from around the world. The A350 flights will also feature new chinaware, new tableware and glassware, new bedding, and updated amenity kits for Business and Premium Economy cabin, exclusively designed by Ferragamo and TUMI, respectively.

ITA Airways will soon become part of the Lufthansa Group family. The joint vision for this collaboration is clear: to develop ITA Airways as a profitable, efficient, and sustainable premium airline for Italy within the Lufthansa Group.

To realize fast synergies for both companies as well as great benefits for customers, and to make ITA Airways an essential member of the Lufthansa Group, a wide range of implementation activities such as code sharing, Star Alliance membership, Miles & More participation, joint processes for ground and flight operations, access to the Lufthansa Group booking platforms and many more are planned.

Effective 26 June 2024 (date of ticket issuance), the airlines of the Lufthansa Group* will introduce a new Environmental Cost Surcharge for all flights departing from any country of the European Union, Great Britain, Norway and Switzerland for travel on/after 1 January 2025.

*The Environmental Cost Surcharge applies to each flight segment of Austrian Airlines / Brussels Airlines / Eurowings / Lufthansa / SWISS / Air Dolomiti / Discover Airlines / Edelweiss / Lufthansa City Airlines / Lufthansa CityLine

The surcharge is automatically calculated with a YQ tax code (YQ-F) and included when the ticket is issued. The surcharge covers additional costs from legislative environmental regulations such as the SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) mandate by the European Union (“ReFuelEU Aviation”), adaptations of the European ETS (“Emission Trading System”) scheme and other regulatory costs.