India opens for foreigners quietly: Korean flight first to enter India with 135 foreign professionals on Friday

Without much ado, an Asiana Airlines flight – a Korean carrier with about 135 Korean business professionals, engineers, and executives onboard entered the Indian airspace and landed at the IGI Airport in New Delhi.

There were about 35 Indians too in the same chartered flight that took off from Incheon airport in Korea on June 19. The very next day, the same flight flew back to Incheon with about 90 Korean nationals and 150 Indians.  

The Indian government has for the first time ever since the international borders were closed for scheduled international passenger airlines and visas were canceled to check the spread of imported coronavirus, accorded permission to international airlines to ferry in foreigners.  

This special Asiana Airlines flight was not part of the ongoing Vande Bharat Mission, which is being primarily undertaken by India’s national carrier Air India to bring back Indians from across the world.

Since March 25, no scheduled passenger flight had been allowed to fly in foreigners in India except for diplomats/UN officials or those on special missions.  Read more...