Croatia may be gorgeous in June, when the kids have their summer vacation, but if you have just started planning your holiday, it may just be too late for you to hang out on the Adriatic Sea. There is no visa slot open for the next two months. The same holds for several European countries, where delays and strict document requirements leading to rejections, are leaving both travellers and travel agents exasperated and people venting out their frustration on Visa providers for alleged delays.While post-Covid revenge travel, especially to international destinations, continues to hit the roof, getting the Schengen visa has become a problem—especially for certain countries.
Take the case of Croatia, which has become a popular destination and became part of the Schengen agreement last year. “We regularly check for appointment availability and have not been successful in catching even one slot since the beginning of 2024,” says visa and immigration consultant Cyrus Sethna. “If an appointment is miraculously secured, the visa process takes a staggering 60 days before the passport is returned to the traveller.” Dates for Iceland are also not available.
A leading Visa provider firm in India – is facing the heat of customers over the delays.
Travel agents say that people who have been rejected or have not found an opening to apply, are forced to lie about their destinations and sometimes go via the Scandavian countries where slots tend to be more available. But, warns a travel agent, know that you can’t apply to Norway if you really want to go to Spain, because they are geographically too far apart and it is likely that you might get caught out. There’s also a parallel system where some visa agents charge double the price and somehow procure a slot.
“VFS Global does not control processing timelines of visa applications, neither does it control appointment availability. These are governed and controlled by our client governments,” says a VFS Global spokesperson.
“Applicants are advised to beware of fraudulent entities who charge fees from customers for scheduling appointments, using VFS Global’s name or independently.”
Greece is a bit of a hit and miss, say travel agents, pointing out that last year it had halted visa applications for the entire month of May. While some visas are processed quickly, in certain instances, they can take up to six weeks, with no option for expedited service. Another travel agent points out that her client had booked an island-hopping trip in Greece for her family, but the visas got declined and she eventually applied for a Schengen from Hungary, even though Budapest was afar cry from the Grecian agenda. It also was a needlessly additional cost for the family of four.
Solo travellers constitute the majority, representing approximately 65 per cent of visa applications in the UAE, 60 per cent in Egypt, 40 per cent in Singapore, and 45 per cent in Vietnam. Groups of two travellers make up around 20 per cent in the UAE, 30 per cent in Egypt, 25 per cent in Singapore, and 20 per cent in Vietnam.
Last year, Italy opened no appointment slots the entire summer. However, this year they have been lenient, allowing quick appointments to those who have previously held a Schengen visa. But if there is no prior visa, thenthere are virtually no dates. Spain has been fairly consistent about giving visas, but as of now, there are no appointment slots.
Before March, things were quite easy and we were getting slots but suddenly they seem to have disappeared, says travel agent Vipul Bhuva. “I had booked so many tickets thinking that the client wo-uld get the visa and now we have to change the itinerary. But it causes too much anxiety.” Main problem countries tend to be Spain, Italy, France and Switzerland because they are more popular among Indian tourists.
The pile-ups and confusion are forcing vacationers to look at other destinations. Despite the heat, some are op-ting for Asia trips which might take them to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, or travelling to African countries, both of which have eased their visa requirements. Australia and New Zealand are too far. “Pre-Covid, if you wanted to travel in May, you could apply in April, and you’d be fine,” says Sethna. “Clearly, consulates and embassies are not able to keep up with the numbers which are going up every year.”
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Indian airlines will operate a total of 24,275 weekly domestic flights during the summer schedule starting from March 31, a nearly 6 per cent increase compared to the year-ago period. The number of weekly departures is just 2.30 per cent higher as against 23,732 flights being operated by the scheduled carriers in the ongoing winter schedule that ends on March 30, according to aviation regulator DGCA.
IndiGo, Air India and Vistara will operate more flights while SpiceJet will reduce departures during the 2024 summer schedule that spans from March 31 to October 26.
In the summer schedule, Indian carriers will connect 37 countries, including the US, the UK, Uzbekistan, Maldives, Georgia and Azerbaijan. The international flights will be operated from 27 domestic airports.
Domestic carriers will be operating 1,922 weekly international flights, a rise of 5.1 per cent compared to the 2023 summer schedule. In comparison to the ongoing winter schedule where the count of international weekly flights is 1,892, the increase is only 1.6 per cent.
Akasa Air, which is set to commence its overseas operations on March 28, is yet to file its schedule for international flights with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The regulator said there will be 24,275 domestic departures per week which have been finalised to/from 125 airports as per the summer schedule.
“Out of these 125 airports, Azamgarh, Aligarh, Chitrakoot, Gondia, Jalgaon, Moradabad and Pithoragarh are the new airports proposed by the scheduled airlines,” the watchdog said in a release on Thursday.
The country’s largest airline IndiGo will be operating 13.82 per cent more flights at 13,050 in the summer schedule, while Air India will increase its weekly departures by 4.59 per cent to 2,278.
Vistara will be operating 25.22 per cent more weekly flights at 2,324 while Akasa Air will increase their weekly domestic departures by 14.30 per cent to 903.
SpiceJet will be cutting down its weekly departures by 22.28 per cent to 1,657.
In terms of airports that will be operational during the summer schedule, Uttar Pradesh will have the maximum number at 14, followed by Maharashtra (11) and Gujarat (9).
In the international segment, Air India will operate 455 weekly flights, an increase of 5.1 per cent compared to the year-ago period.
The Mumbai airport will facilitate a total of 951 daily movements, up from approximately 882 in the previous summer schedule of 2023. With over 6,657 movements weekly, there will be a notable 8 per cent surge in weekly flight operations compared to the previous year, benefiting travellers from Mumbai and nearby cities.
IndiGo will have 13.5 per cent more international flights at 731 while Vistara will increase its weekly overseas departures by 50.8 per cent to 184. Air India Express’ departures will rise 20.8 per cent to 371 flights.
However, SpiceJet will be reducing its international flights by 12.6 per cent to 174. In the last summer schedule, Go First was to operate 120 weekly overseas flights. The carrier stopped flying in May 2023.
Alliance Air will operate 7 weekly international departures in the latest summer schedule compared to 4 in the year-ago period.
Air India, Air India Express and Vistara are part of the Tata Group, and Vistara is in the process of getting merged with Air India.
India’s civil aviation market is one of the fastest growing in the world but there are supply chain and engine woes that have also resulted in the grounding of many aircraft.
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The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai has unveiled its summer schedule, showcasing an 8 per cent increase in weekly flight movements compared to the previous year. The schedule, effective from March 31, 2024, until October 26, 2024, is planned to cater to the rising demand for both domestic and international travel, offering improved connectivity and convenience to passengers.
CSMIA will facilitate a total of 951 daily movements, up from approximately 882 in the previous summer schedule of 2023. With over 6,657 movements weekly, there will be a notable 8 per cent surge in weekly flight operations compared to the previous year, benefiting travellers from Mumbai and nearby cities.
The airport has enhanced its connectivity with additional flight frequencies to various domestic and international destinations. Notably, IndiGo will account for 1,255 weekly departures, while Air India and Vistara will contribute 539 and 519 weekly departures, respectively. The summer schedule introduces increased services to international destinations such as Paris, Doha, Hanoi, and the newly introduced route to Tashkent.
The introduction of these codeshare connections enhances travel options for Indian tourists, as well as business and leisure travellers, especially during the upcoming summer season. IndiGo already provides travel options to Singapore, further complemented by seamless connectivity to Qantas’ flights between Singapore and Australia. Both airlines had signed a codeshare agreement in 2022.
Among the notable increases in flight frequencies, flights to Delhi will see a significant rise with 27 additional weekly flights. Other key destinations with notable frequency additions include Srinagar with 28 additional weekly flights, Ayodhya with 14, and Kolkata with 9.In a statement, CSMIA said that it is committed to meeting the growing demands of passenger traffic by offering 682 domestic movements and 269 international movements, including the newly introduced routes. Vistara will operate to Paris five times a week, Akasa Air to Doha four times weekly, and Uzbekistan Airways to Tashkent twice a week. Additionally, Vistara will operate daily flights to Hanoi, enhancing connectivity to these international destinations.
The airport said it has also implemented infrastructural enhancements to effectively manage the increasing passenger traffic demand and ensure a seamless experience for travellers.
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