21 international flights took off from Mumbai under air bubble pacts

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport catered to a total of 3,059 passengers.

Mumbai International Airport on Friday said it has operated 21 flights to the US, Germany and France since July 22 under the bilateral air bubble pacts with these countries.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport catered to a total of 3,059 passengers that include 1,185 from Newark, 660 from Paris and 1,214 from Frankfurt, Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) said in a release.

It added that the passengers travelled through 21 flights between July 22 and July 31 after the finalisation of the bilateral air bubble pacts with the US, Germany and France.

Under the pacts, airlines such as Air India, Air France, and Lufthansa are operating on these routes, MIAL said.

It added that the first flight departed from Mumbai to Paris by Air France on July 22, while an Air India flight was the first to arrive from Frankfurt on July 23.

The airport has ensured utmost safety of its passengers with standard operating procedures in place along with following the guidelines laid by the government to ensure a safe travel, it said.

An air bubble is a bilateral arrangement with a set of regulations and restrictions in which the carriers of the two countries can operate international flights.

Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters