Air Canada resumes flight operations between Toronto, Delhi after four-month Covid-19 lull

“The only accepted COVID-19 tests are an RT-PCR test or a rapid PCR test that must be taken no more than 18 hours before your departing Air Canada flight to Canada from the COVID-19 Testing Centre & Lounge across from Terminal 3 at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi,” Air Canada said.

Air Canada, Canada’s largest airline, on Monday said that it has resumed operations in India after a four-month long suspension of services in India in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. Following a sudden surge in cases in India, the airline had earlier in April suspended India operations.

“You may also be able to travel if you provide proof of a certified positive PCR test result taken between 14 and 180 days before your scheduled departure flight to Canada,” Air Canada said.(Reuters | Representational image)

Replying to multiple users on the microblogging site Twitter, Air Canada confirmed that its flight to Delhi is resuming. In one such tweet asking about the resumption of direct flights to India between Toronto and Delhi, Air Canada replied, “Yes they are, however it is subject to change depending on the Canadian Government.”

Further, the company also notified the passengers of the Covid-19 testing requirements for flights from India. It said that a negative RT-PCR test or a rapid PCR test, not older than 18 hours before departure, from the testing centre at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi is necessary.

“Please note that Air Canada’s requirements for boarding the flight from India to Canada have now changed. The only accepted COVID-19 tests are an RT-PCR test or a rapid PCR test that must be taken no more than 18 hours before your departing Air Canada flight to Canada from the COVID-19 Testing Centre & Lounge across from Terminal 3 at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi,” the airlines said.

It also noted that no other tests would be accepted even in the case of flyers coming in from other cities in India. “Air Canada requires either of these specific tests as no other test from any other clinic within India will be accepted, even if you are connecting from a different city,” it added. “You may also be able to travel if you provide proof of a certified positive PCR test result taken between 14 and 180 days before your scheduled departure flight to Canada,” it further said.

As far as vaccinations are concerned, four shots, namely those of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Vaxzevria and Covishield by AstraZeneca and Janssen by Johnson and Johnson are accepted currently in Canada, according to the government’s Travel and Tourism website. Canada is one among the many countries with which India has a travel arrangement agreement.