Flight operations under the air bubble agreement between India and  Bangladesh are set to resume from September 3, four months after it was  suspended amid rising Covid-19 infections.

Passengers travelling  from Bangladesh to India will be subjected to mandatory RT-PCR tests on  arrival at Indian airports at their own expense, according to a circular  issued by the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation yesterday.

Passengers holding tourist visas, however, will currently not be allowed to enter India, it said.

With  rising demands in Bangladesh to resume flight operations, Bangladesh  had proposed to India to resume the air bubble agreement from August 4  as infections in both countries have decreased significantly in recent  days.

In  response, the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation issued a circular  stating that it may resume the arrangement from September 3.The circular said India's civil aviation ministry examined the  proposal in consultation with the local health authorities and would  recommend the resumption of operations with seven flights a week.

Three  Indian airlines will operate over a week -- 3 SpiceJet flights; 2  Indigo flights and two Air India flights. The flights will operate from  the Indian cities of Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai to Dhaka.

The Indian side is now awaiting information of the flight details from the Bangladesh side.   Air  bubble arrangements are temporary arrangements between two countries  aimed at restarting commercial passenger services when regular  international flights are suspended as a result of the Covid-19  pandemic. They are reciprocal in nature, meaning airlines from both  countries enjoy similar benefits.

According to a circular issued by  the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (Caab) on August 16, any  passenger from India can travel to Bangladesh irrespective of Covid-19  vaccination status.

India yesterday sought further clarification  on the categories of passengers who will be currently allowed to travel  to Bangladesh from India.