Manama: Indians with any type of valid visa can travel to Bahrain, the Indian Embassy said Twitter on Friday.
The Indian embassy said in a statement on Friday that the two countries had decided to activate the air bubble arrangement. As per the agreement, a fixed number of services will be operated between the two national carriers in India and Bahrain.
This will allow people even with a visit visa to fly from India. This will also allow the stranded expats in India to return to the kingdom of Bahrain.
Under a bilateral bubble pact, airlines of both countries can operate special international passenger flights with certain restrictions. Both Indian and Bahraini national carriers will be permitted to operate a specified number of flights between the two nations, the embassy said in a statement.
Gulf Air, Air India and Air India Express are allowed to operate special flights under this agreement.
Bahraini nationals and any Indians who have valid Bahraini visas can board these flights from India. As there is no travel restriction for Indian nationals to enter Bahrain with the particular visa category, airlines have to ensure the same before issuance of ticket/boarding pass to the Indian passenger.
Flights from Bahrain to India will be used to repatriate stranded Indians. Also, all Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding Bahraini passports, and Bahraini nationals holding valid visa issued by an Indian mission will be allowed to travel.
The designated airlines of both sides will be allowed to sell tickets between Indian and Bahrain in each direction through their websites, sales agents and Global Distribution Systems, the statement said.
Passengers can contact the specified airlines for tickets, the statement added.
However, the embassy did not announce when the service would begin. It was heard that the service under the new agreement will be started this weekend. Bahrain flag carrier, Gulf Air, has already started bookings from various Indian cities.
The embassy has not yet clarified how long the air bubble deal will last. It was learned that both countries can provide equal numbers of seats. There will be one service per day.
India has extended the ban on international flights until the end of September due to coronavirus restrictions. The new decision comes as a relief to many expats stranded in India.
