New Delhi: India is in talks with 13 countries including Australia, Japan and Singapore to work out special bilateral aviation arrangements, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Sunday.

Under the bilateral aviation agreement, airlines from the two countries can operate international flights under certain conditions. Puri said India is negotiating with 13 countries to establish such an arrangement. These countries include Australia, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, Bahrain, Israel, Kenya, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal and Bhutan have also made similar requests, Puri explained.

Since July, India has established bilateral aviation special period arrangements with the United States, The United Kingdom, France, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and the Maldives. India has suspended scheduled international passenger flights since 23 March due to the spread of COVID-19. India resumed domestic passenger flights on May 25 after a two-month national lockdown. During this period, the average occupancy rate of domestic flights in India was about 50 to 60 percent. At present, the Ministry of Civil Aviation also allows airlines to resume only 45 per cent of their pre-coVID-19 domestic flights.

India's aviation industry has been hit hard by the COVID-19 outbreak. All Indian airlines have taken cost-cutting measures such as pay cuts, unpaid leave and staff lay-offs. Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation: is trying to establish special international routes with 13 countries