India’s national carrier, Air India which has been debt-ridden for a while has finally been officially handed over to the TATA Group which they bought last year. The conglomerate had made a successful bid of £1.7bn to buy Air India in October 2021. As per a statement issued on Thursday, TATA group now owns Air India, Air India Express and Air India SATS Airport Services Pvt Ltd.
Asian Voice asked travel experts about what this means for the UK-India partnership if they’ve seen any spike in bookings and the upside for travellers.
Jaymin Borkhatria from Southall Travel told the newsweekly, “The spike in bookings would only come about once the Indian Government change the rules of 7-day isolation on arrival tests for negative results. The majority of travellers at the moment are those going for longer periods and mainly the OCI holders as compared to leisure travellers. TATA’s takeover of Air India is definitely good news but we believe it would take a minimum of one year before TATA completely are in command. Customers will benefit hugely from this takeover as TATA is a commercial organisation and would ensure the offering to customers meet the exceptional standards that are expected from an organisation like TATA. This should take away the complaints and any issues customers may have had with Air India.”
PS Kang, Managing Director - Moresand Group told Asian Voice, “As far as bookings are concerned, it is too early yet as India visa is a problem still. But in the long run, there will be bookings upward rise once TATAs have settled down.”
Suk Patel from Travelpack said, “Travelpack has seen steady growth in Air India bookings since TATA’s Takeover announcement of Air India. However, recently we have seen a sharp rise in bookings and enquiries with the airline as we are a Preferred Partner for Air India in the UK.
“The TATA Group is a well-established organisation with a successful number of industry-leading brands. I believe we will see a considerable improvement in Air India’s brand as the TATA Group’s core values are instilled into the Air India brand. TATA are focused on making the Air India Brand a global success, after regaining ownership almost 7 decades later.
“Customers can look forward to a significantly better overall experience. TATA are focused on improving customer service, punctuality and in-flight experience. Shortly they will be installing new equipment for the enhanced meal service which will be launched on Delhi-Mumbai, key Gulf routes and flights to the US & UK. As part of their commitment to improving Air India’s punctuality, all aircraft doors will be closing 10 minutes prior to departure.”
Anirban Mukhopadhyay who is a loyal Air India flyer shared why he chooses the airline over and over again. He said, “I find the inflight service quite decent, direct flight to Kolkata - a huge plus, never faced major issues in cancellation if flights as I was booked alternatives- was lucky to that extent.”
Travel guidelines
Those travelling to India will have to go through a thermal screening, and those from "at-risk" countries will have to take a Covid test upon arrival. The Indian government issued revised guidelines for all international arrivals, which became effective on January 22nd. Regardless of the country of origin, travellers must still follow a host of pre-and post-arrival formalities.
Indian health officials have rewritten their guidelines for passengers arriving from abroad. Passengers who test positive upon arrival will not be forced to quarantine in an isolation facility, instead, they will be given the option to quarantine at home. The majority of other rules remains the same and can be broken down into pre-and post-arrival protocols.
The online Air Suvidha portal requires that travellers upload a self-declaration form and a negative Covid-19 RT-PCR report. Tests must be done within 72 hours prior to travel. Pre-booked on-arrival tests are also available to travellers. The latest government guidelines call for pre-booking of tests to be mandatory for all passengers arriving in six metro cities located in "at-risk countries" - Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.
A thermal screening will be conducted on every passenger, and those travelling from “at-risk” countries will have to complete a Covid test (self-paid) after arrival. Additionally, passengers arriving from “not at risk” countries will need to undergo screening. A person who tests negative must quarantine for seven days and take a re-test on day eight. Passengers who test positive will be asked to isolate themselves as per standard protocol and their samples will be sent for genome analysis. Passengers sitting in close proximity to positive travellers will also be ordered to home quarantine.
Earlier, passengers with positive tests on arrival had to be quarantined at government facilities. Covid-positive passengers arriving from anywhere in the world now have the option to recover at home and upload the Covid test result after seven days to the online portal.
Meanwhile, the British government has announced that it will do away with Covid-19 testing requirements for double-vaccinated travellers arriving in England or Scotland. The modified guidelines will come in place at 4 am UK time on February 11. Those who are partially vaccinated or unvaccinated will need to take a test before departure. They will also need to take a PCR test on or before day 2 of arrival in the UK. This means that the mandatory quarantine has been lifted, and will be required only if they test positive.
While the UK will continue to treat all under-18s as double-vaccinated passengers, children between 12 to 15 years of age in England can use a Covid pass as proof of vaccination from February 3 while travelling outside the country. They can also get a “proof of prior infection” as a digital document issued by the National Health Service if required.
