CategoriesBusiness Aircraft Operations

VISA RESTRICTIONS RELATED TO COVID-19-INDIA

(i) Following categories of foreign nationals are permitted to enter India by any non-scheduled commercial flights as allowed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation:-
(a) All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders and PIO cardholders holding passports of any country.

(b) All foreign nationals intending to visit India for any purpose(including their dependents on appropriate category of dependent visa) except those on Tourist Visa.

(ii) All existing visas, except electronic visas (e-Visa), Tourist visa and Medical Visa, which remained suspended, shall stand restored with immediate effect. If the validity of such visa has expired, the foreign national may obtain a fresh visa of appropriate category/sub-category from the Indian Mission/Post concerned. In the case of Medical Visa (including visa for Medical Attendants), foreign nationals intending to visit India for medical treatment in emergencies may be granted Medical visa for appropriate period by the Indian Missions/Posts. The condition of obtaining a visa will not apply to dependent family members of foreign diplomats/officials who are eligible for visa exemption in terms of bilateral visa exemption agreements or visa specific agreements entered into by India with various countries. Such foreign nationals covered by para (i) (b) above will not be permitted to travel to India on the strength of any electronic visa (e-Visa) obtained earlier.

(iii) In case any foreign national not covered by categories mentioned in (i) above is required to visit India urgently due to any family emergency, the Indian Missions/Posts are authorized to issue single entry X-Misc visa for appropriate period. In such cases, the Indian Missions/Posts may take a decision on grant of visa on a case to case basis on the merits of each case.

(iv) Nationals of Nepal and Bhutan are permitted to come to India from any country (including any third country).

(v) Any Indian national or a national of Nepal or Bhutan holding any type of valid visa of any country is permitted to travel from India to the country concerned provided there is no travel restriction for entry of Indian/Nepalese/Bhutanese nationals in that country. It would be for the airlines concerned to ensure that there is no travel restriction for Indian/Nepalese/Bhutanese nationals to enter the country concerned with the particular visa category before issue of tickets/boarding pass to the Indian/Nepalese/Bhutanese passenger.

(vi) There will be no restriction on incoming passenger traffic into India through the authorized airport/seaport Immigration Check Posts for all categories of foreign nationals who are permitted to enter India or those who may be permitted to enter India in future. Such travel restrictions would also not apply to any movement of cargo or goods and supplies in any vehicle, aircraft, ship, train etc. along with their crew, sailor, driver, helper, cleaner etc. on any of the 107 Immigration Check Posts including the land ICPs. However, such restriction on incoming passenger traffic into India will continue to be in effect in respect of foreign nationals holding Tourist Visa.

(vii) In respect of quarantine and all other health/COVID-19 related matters, guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare shall be strictly adhered to.

If you have any questions about this article or would like assistance planning your next trip to India, contact us ops@vvipflight.com or (OPS)- (+91)-8010686868.

Note: Regulations, watch hours, NOTAM or any other information given in above article are subject to change from time to time, for most latest information please feel free to contact us.

CategoriesBusiness Aircraft Operations

Business Aircraft Ops to India- Military Airports

  1. Famous Defense/ Military  Airports in India for General Aviation Flights : VIAG airport (Agra Airport), VIJO airport (Jodhpur Airport) , VEAB airport (Allahabad Airport), VABJ airport (Bhuj Airport), VEGK airport ( Gorakhpur airport), VEJT airport (Jorhat Airport), VIJR airport  (Jaisalmer Airport) , VICG airport (Chandigarh Airport), VIGR airport (Gwalior Airport), VAJM airport (Jamnagar Airport), VOVZ airport (Visakhapatnam Airport), VOGO airport (Goa Airport), VAPO airport ( Pune Airport), VOYK airport ( Yelahanka Air Force Station), VOPB airport (Port Blair Airport), VAOZ airport  (Ozar Airport), VIDX Airport (Hindon Airport).
  • Permit Requirements: It takes 3-4 weeks to obtain landing permit for defense airports.  For foreign registered operating into defense airfield Air Operations Routine (AOR number) is required in addition to Civil Air Office clearance. AOR is generally applied and coordinated by Handler or Agent on behalf of operator.

  • Detail required applying for landing permit: Operator Name, Acft Registration,  Acft Call Sign, Type of Aircraft, Schedule, ATS route to be flown, Crew Name, Passport details such as passport number, date of issue, date of expiry, Nationality, Date of Birth etc. Pax name, Passport details such as passport number, date of issue, date of expiry, Nationality, Date of Birth etc.
  • Parking: There is Paucity of Parking space at most of the Defense Airports .Overnight parking is strictly available with prior approval. All the foreign registered aircraft has to be parked on civil apron. General Aviation parking at VIJO airport (Jodhpur Airport), VOGO airport (Goa Airport) and VICG airport (Chandigarh airport) is generally not available due to limited parking stands.
  • Airport Slots: When you operate to Military Airports, airport slots are required. Slots are requested via e-mail / fax from the airport slot coordinator. This is generally done by the agent or handler on the behalf of operator.
  • Air Operations Routine (AOR number) : All Foreign Registered Aircraft operating flight into Military Airport (Naval or Air force) has to obtain AOR clearance for operating to/from defense aerodromes. AOR clearance will be issued by Director of Air Intelligence, Air Headquarter (Vayu Bhavan) / Naval HQ in coordination with MoD. Once AOR is obtained civil Air Office issues landing permit to operate into defense airport. This generally taken by your handler or agent in India.
  • Validity of AOR: Validity of AOR may vary. But normally it is (+) (-) 2hours. For delay beyond 2 hours on arrival / departure at Military airport  revised AOR clearance is required. This generally taken by your handler or agent in India.
  •  Curfew / Restrictions: Air force aircrafts are given priority over civil aircrafts. It is recommended to check General aviation watch hours and restrictions and curfew before you operate into Military Airport. Restrictions are issued depending on military exercise from time to time.
  • Flight Planning : On day of departure, your ground handler will notify air traffic control, ensure your flight plan is filed with local ATC (Air traffic Controller) and also submit paper work required for departure clearance. Your handler will ensure all airport fees are paid and invoice the operator at a later date. It is NOT mandatory for pilot in command to go to the tower to sign the flight plan. FIC (Flight Information centre) and ADC (Air Defense clearance) number are perquisite to obtain departure clearance (push back / start up permission). These numbers are coordinated by Agent / ground handler and pass on to PIC well before departure. It mandatory to mention AOR number along with date of issue on flight plan for defense airfields
  • General Aviation Crew Visa  Requirements for India : All general aviation crew arriving in India must carry with them a valid BUSINESS VISA issued by the Indian Embassy / Consulate or an E-BUSINESS VISA available online. If time permitting, it is recommended that they carry with them a valid Business Visa issued by the Indian Embassy/Consulate. For applying the Business Visa, some Embassies ask for an invitation/sponsorship letter which VVIP Flight will gladly provide.
  • Aviation Jet Fuel: Fuel facility is available at most of the Military airports in India.
  • Major International Airports in India  : VIDP Airport  (Delhi airport), VABB Airport (Mumbai airport), VOBL airport (Bangalore airport),VOMM  Airport ( Chennai Airport), VOGO airport (Goa Airport) , VECC  airport (Kolkata Airport), VOCI airport (Cochin Airport),VOHS airport ( Hyderabad Airport), VAAH airport (Ahmadabad Airport),VOTV airport ( Trivandrum Airport), VOCL airport ( Calicut Airport), VILK airport (Lucknow Airport), VIAR airport (Amritsar Airport), VOTR airport ( Trichy Airport), VIJP airport (Jaipur Airport), VOML airport (Mangalore Airport), VAPO airport (Pune Airport), VANP airport (Nagpur Airport),VOCB airport ( Coimbatore Airport), VEGY Airport (Gaya Airport), VEDB Airport (Bagdogra Airport), VEGT Airport (Guwahati Airport),VEBN Airport ( Varanasi Airport), VICG airport (Chandigarh Airport), VOVZ airport ( Vishakhapatnam Airport), VOMD airport  (Madurai Airport), VEBS airport (Bhubaneswar Airport) and VOPB airport ( Port Blair Airport).
  • Major  Domestic Airports in India : VEAT Airport (Agartala Airport), VIBR Airport (Kullu or Bhuntar Airport), VOAT Airport (Agatti Airport) VELR Airport (Lilabari Airport) (North Lakhimpur), VAAU Airport (Aurangabad Airport), VILK Airport (Ludhiana Airport), VEBA Airport (Behala Airport), VOMD Airport (Madurai Airport), VOBM Airport (Belgaum Airport), VOMY Airport (Mysore Airport) , VABV Airport (Bhavnagar Airport), VIPT Airport (Pantnagar Airport), VABP Airport (Bhopal Airport), VOPC Airport (Pondicherry Airport), VEBS Airport (Bhubaneswar Airport), VAPR Airport (Porbandar Airport) , VIDN Airport  (Dehradun Airport), VARP Airport (Raipur Airport), VEMN Airport (Dibrugarh Airport) , VORY Airport (Rajahmundry Airport), VEMR Airport (Dimapur Airport), VARK Airport (Rajkot Airport), VAGD Airport (Gondia Airport), VERC Airport (Ranchi Airport), VOHB Airport (Hubli Airport ), VOHY Airport (Hyderabad Airport) (Begumpet), VOSM Airport (Salem Airport), VEIM Airport (Imphal Airport), VEBI Airport (Shillong Airport) (Umroi), VAID Airport (Indore Airport), VISM Airport (Shimla Airport), VAJB Airport (Jabalpur Airport)   , VASU Airport (Surat Airport), VAJJ Airport (Juhu Airport), VOTP Airport (Tirupati Airport), VAKE Airport (Kandla Airport), VOTK Airport (Tuticorin Airport), VIGG Airport (Kangra Airport)(Gaggal), VAUD Airport (Udaipur Airport), VOKN Airport (Kanpur Airport) , VABO Airport (Vadodara Airport) , VEKO Airport (Khajuraho Airport), VOBZ Airport (Vijayawada Airport).

If you have any questions about this article or would like assistance planning your next trip to India, contact us ops@vvipflight.com or (OPS) – (+91)-8010686868

Note: Regulations, watch hours, NOTAM or any other information given in above page are subject to change from time to time, for most latest information please feel free to contact us.

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