The state government on Monday withdrew restrictions on domestic flights to Bengal from any part of the country.
It also announced a rule that exempts international fliers from testing for Covid on arrival if they are fully vaccinated or have a negative RT-PCR report. The test has to be conducted within 72 hours before the departure of the flight.
The new rules will come into effect on Tuesday.
“There shall be no restrictions on incoming domestic flights from any location in the country, but subject to the condition that the passengers are either fully vaccinated or RT-PCR test conducted within 72 hours from the time of flight departure,” reads a letter from B.P. Gopalika, additional chief secretary, home affairs, Bengal government, to Rajiv Bansal, Union civil aviation secretary.
Till now, flights from Bangalore could arrive in Bengal only three days a week — Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
“From Tuesday, airlines will be free to operate daily flights from Bangalore,” said an official at the Kolkata airport.
The state government had imposed restrictions on flights from Mumbai and Delhi when the third wave of Covid infections was taking off because of a high prevalence of cases in those two cities. But the curbs were lifted on January 31.
In Monday’s letter, Gopalika also mentioned that all incoming international passengers should be fully vaccinated or should carry an RT-PCR negative report. The test should be conducted within 72 hours before the departure of the flight.
“The new letter… means not all incoming international passengers need to be tested for Covid upon arrival. We’ll follow the Centre's guideline on testing two per cent of the incoming international passengers on a random basis,” said C. Pattabhi, director of Kolkata airport.
Airport officials said the relaxations would lead to a rise in the fliers’ count.
