Unlock 2.0 – When will India allow foreigners in, operate chartered flights? Asks the world 

NEW DELHI: Close on the heels of the recent report of permission granted to about 135 Korean professionals to enter India using a chartered Asiana Airlines flights when it is publically known that Indian international borders are closed for foreigners except for diplomats and a very select category of officials, the embassies of many countries have approached the Indian foreign affairs and aviation ministries seeking nod for their nationals stuck in their respective countries of origin.

As the exclusive news article “India opens for foreigners quietly: Korean flight first to enter India with 135 foreign professionals….” dated 26^th June broke on Asian Community News (ACN) Network, number of countries whose nationals are stuck and waiting to enter India was surprised to know this development as there was no formal announcement made by the India government on permission for opening borders for foreign nationals.

Equally concerned are Indian companies whose foreign business associates and clients are eagerly awaiting to travel to India and meet their counterparts for striking business deliberations by meeting in person.

“We are going to move the Indian foreign ministry to seek permission for issuing visas to our professionals who are waiting to enter India and join work here. We would seek permission for 1-2 chartered flights as we have about 300 Japanese management professionals, engineers, and technicians who want to immediately join work in India. They have been stuck in Japan because of the lockdown that was announced in March,” said Kenji Sugino, Secretary-General, Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in India (JCCII).

There are about 2,000 more Japanese professionals who are in a wait & watch mode in Japan and want to come to India provided the COVID-19 outbreak situation gets eased and healthcare facilities get normalized in India.

As India has relaxed lockdown norms and unleashed Unlock 2.0 from July 1, and is operating domestic flights in ‘selective’ mode, the business institutions, offices, and factories have started operating albeit partially and in a slow pace. But many with foreign collaborations, they need their foreign associates and clients to visit India.

“We have our head office in New York and the Senior Architect in-charge at there is waiting for a nod by the Indian Government to uplift or relax travel bans so they can visit India. Face-to-face interactions stand necessary with the clients and team who await further discussions. Similarly, I have been waiting to visit our associates and clients in Tokyo but due to the imposed travel prohibition, find our work undergoing an impediment,” said Dikshu C Kukreja, Arch. (Urban Design), Harvard University, USA, Managing Principal, C P Kukreja Architects (CPKA), New Delhi. CPKA is ranked amongst the top 100 architectural firms in the world.

Though the Ministry of Home Affairs had issued a notification on June 1, announcing permission to four categories of foreign nationals to come to India.

These were foreign businessmen coming to India on business visas (other than B3 visa for sports), foreign healthcare professionals, foreign engineering, managerial, design; and foreign technical specialists using in non-scheduled commercial/chartered flights.

However, the Indian government did not issue guidelines for the same post this notification and none of the countries except for South Korea and very few others applied for visa issuance.

Though the Civil Aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said that all scheduled international flights would continue to remain suspended till July 15.

Recently the JCCII conducted a survey with its member companies in India and found that about 2500 Japanese executives are waiting for the Indian borders to open.

“The Japanese companies that are into manufacturing of goods in India need engineers, technicians, research & development specialists to ensure production takes its required pace in the factories. These professionals need to be physically present and immediately join their works in India, unlike those in the service industry like banking and insurance who can work remotely through digital and online mediums,” said the JCCII Secretary-General.

He said that there no problem for the Japanese professionals who want to go back to Japan from India as Japan Airlines (JAL) operates about two flights a month between the two countries. But they enter India empty, without passengers on board.

There were flights from India to Japan on June 14 and 25 but none from Japan to India to bring in Japanese professionals.