August 14, 2020: Indian flyers holding any kind of valid visa under the 'Air Bubbles' agreement can travel to the UK, the US, Canada and UAE, said the Director-General of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) India. "Under bubble agreement any Indian holding any kind of valid visa can travel to Canada, UK, US and UAE," said DGCA India in a statement.

New Delhi also announced the creation of an air travel bubble between India and the Maldives. The first flight under the Air Bubble is expected to commence on August 18. These 'landmark' announcements were made during a meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Maldivian counterpart Abdullah Shahid.

According to the earlier guidelines issued by the European Union amid the COVID-19 pandemic, only those holding essential visa were allowed for travel abroad. Recently, Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Puri had confirmed that more air bubbles with other countries are in the pipeline.

India has not allowed entry of all type of visa holders into the country except for those holding essential visa approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs.