The flight ban on direct flights from India is set to expire on September 26, 2021, after a ban period of 5 months. From September 27, direct flights from Delhi to Canada shall resume as per Canada’s “risk-based and measured approach” to safely open its borders. Once the Flight ban expires, travellers from India would be able to come to Canada conditional to them meeting the safety measures in place.
As a part of the plan to lift travel restrictions safely, Canada will test three direct flights from India which will come in today, September 22. According to the new guidelines, fully vaccinated and “exceptionally unvaccinated” passengers will be allowed to travel to Canada provided they:
- Travellers must have proof of a negative COVID-19 molecular test from the approved Genestrings Laboratory at the Delhi airport taken within 18 hours of the scheduled departure of their direct flight to Canada.
- Prior to boarding, air operators will be checking the travellers’ test results ensuring they are eligible to come to Canada, and that fully vaccinated travellers have uploaded their information into the ArriveCAN mobile app or website. Travellers who are unable to meet these requirements will be denied boarding.
Additionally, the new rules laid out to us in the news release also state that passengers travelling to Canada from India via a third country route “will continue to be required to obtain, within 72 hours of departure, a valid negative COVID-19 molecular test from a third country – other than India – before continuing their journey to Canada”.
While the Delhi-Toronto route would be the first one to be resumed by Air Canada flights, the Indian media giants reported that Air India flights from Delhi to Vancouver will soon follow suit.
What is ArriveCAN?
Arrive CAN is an app/website that the Government of Canada requires you to use to report mandatory travel information like COVID test results and immunization records.
Who can enter Canada?
With the travel restrictions slowly easing out, who can travel from India to Canada will depend on various factors. For most accurate information, use the Government of Canada’s link to find out if you are eligible to enter Canada. To know about the COVID vaccination requirements and restrictions in BC, read our article: British Columbia to Require Covid Vaccination for Non-essential Events and Services
Finally, what are some other things to keep in mind while travelling to or from India?
The Government of Canada has a lot of guidelines in place for travelling to and from India which are not necessarily COVID-related. In order to stay updated with the recent travel advisories, make sure you read their page before you travel.
Sources: Travel Canada, Quint
