It is a universally acknowledged fact that whenever life brings unexpected events, our first instinct is always to run back to the safety & comfort of our home. During the initial months of 2020, following the spread of a deadly virus, the world was thrown into a tailspin, everyone wanted nothing more than being with their family & friends. But to prevent further transmission, domestic & international airline services were contained, which left millions of people stranded away from their homes. This included a huge population of Indian tourists, people staying in a different country on work-visa & even NRIs. With no immediate solution to the containment of the virus in sight, the stranded passengers were getting tensed. In order to unite them with their loved ones and fly them back to their homeland, the Government of India introduced special repatriation flights under ‘Vande Bharat Mission’. To support the country and its people in the hour of need, IRCTC Air joined hands, as an authorized online travel partner, through which stranded Indian passengers or people with the valid document to travel can now conveniently book Vande Bharat Mission phase 6 flights and fly back to the security & comfort of their home. To stay with friends and family members.
What are the repatriation flights?
Repatriation flights are unlike the regular flights that you usually book to travel from destination A to B. These are in fact special flights that are meant for bringing stranded citizens back to their home country and only permanent citizens of a particular country are eligible to board these flights. To book these special flights, you are required to have a strong and valid reason such as attending a funeral in your home country, seeking emergency medical care/consultation, joining back work or continuing with education, etc. Foreigners who are stuck in a country other than their home country can also book these special flights through www.air.irctc.co.in and so can Indians who have a job or internship offer from countries outside India provided they can show a valid visa for that country along with residence permit.
“Vande Bharat Mission phase 6” will be on till 25th October 2020 and passengers can book flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kochi, Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Trivandrum to international destinations like Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney, Dubai, London, Frankfurt, New York, Male, Chicago, San Francisco, Newark, Washington DC, Paris, Kuwait, Kabul, Manila, Jeddah, Bahrain, Singapore, Addis Ababa, Cebu, Hanoi, and Bangkok. Passengers wanting to return to India from these international destinations can also avail of the services of the IRCTC Air app or website (www.air.irctc.co.in) to book their flight in the most convenient and uncomplicated manner. Remember, these special Vande Bharat Mission flights can be booked online through authorized travel agents like IRCTC Air only so beware of fraudulent travel agents or agencies offering to help you book these special flights at inflated rates and no guarantee of getting confirmed flight tickets.
Why choose IRCTC Air to book flight tickets under Vande Bharat Mission phase 6?
IRCTC Air is a government agency as well as an authorized online travel portal for Vande Bharat Mission phase 6 booking. It offers ease of booking. IRCTC Air allows you to skip the tedious process of waiting in queue for hours at an airline counter to make your flight bookings. Instead, all you have to do is log on to www.air.irctc.co.in or download the IRCTC Air app, choose your destination, select your departure dates, pick your preferred flight, pay as per your preferred mode, and your booking is complete in just a few easy steps. What’s even better is that you can book a flight to your desired destination at the lowest convenience fee of Rs. 59 and even get free travel insurance worth Rs. 50 lacs at zero charges on each booking. It must be noted that Vande Bharat Mission phase 6 booking is open for Indian nationals or specific category passengers as defined as per MEA guidelines or as per the rules of the country of origin or destination. At present, there is only a limited number of airlines available, which can be booked under Vande Bharat Mission phase 6 flight schedule on the IRCTC Air website or app. These include Air India, Air India Express, Vistara, Indigo, and GoAir flights among others. Soon more flights are expected to be added to the Vande Bharat Mission phase 6 flight schedule to empower abandoned and bothered Indians to return home.
Steps to follow when making Vande Bharat Mission phase 6 flight booking online on IRCTC Air
- Open the website of IRCTC Air (air.irctc.co.in) or download the application from Google Play Store/App Store.
- In the flight search box on the homepage, enter your point of origin, preferred destination, number of passengers, and date of journey.
- Select the preferred flight from the list of domestic/international carriers available.
- Review your booking and make payment using your preferred mode.
- Check your inbox for a flight confirmation.
Flight rules in Vande Bharat Mission phase 6:
The following are the rules, people coming back on Vande Bharat Mission flights need to keep in mind.
For evacuating Indian residents from abroad:
- Priority will be given to convincing cases including transient specialists/workers who have been laid off, momentary visa holders confronted with an expiry of visas, people with health-related crisis/pregnant ladies/old, or those are required to come back to India because of death of a relative/spouse.
- Before boarding, all passengers will be required to give an undertaking that they would undergo obligatory isolation for a time-period of 14 days on appearance in India, as per current guidelines & at their own expense.
- At the hour of boarding, screening of passengers will be done and only asymptomatic flyers will be permitted to enter the aircraft or the person with COVID –ve report.
- All flyers are advised to download the ArogyaSetu app on their mobile phones.
Note: The Vande Bharat Mission phase 6 flights can be booked till 25th October 2020!
For information on Vande Bharat Mission baggage allowance, travel advisory & booking guidelines, visit www.air.irctc.co.in or download the IRCTC Air app today.